


The Cost of a Wish (Madoka Magica AU)

by PossiblyAwesomeAO3



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M, Phan - Freeform, but hey if you like it enjoy it i guess, madoka magica - Freeform, please don't sue me, this is essentially just writing practice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-07-10 21:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7009342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PossiblyAwesomeAO3/pseuds/PossiblyAwesomeAO3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a strange boy from an even stranger dream transfers to his school, Phil Lester is unexpectedly pulled into a world where magic and miracles are real, but curses also rule the territory. (Madoka Magica AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I First Met Him in a Dream...I Think

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know this story is a lot like the original Madoka Magica. That's mainly because I wanted some writing practice at imagery and stuff like that, so I figured the best way to go about it would be to mess with an AU for fun. The original Puella Magi Madoka Magica is owned by SHAFT, Gen Urobochi, Akiyuki Shinbo and Aniplex USA, this is just a non-profit fun take on it. Please don't sue me.

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

The boy’s footsteps echoed through the halls slowly, as he carefully placed one foot in front of the other. He wasn’t sure what was real, or what was an illusion. The whole place was an optical illusion, black and white squares and shapes messing with his mind.

He shook his head, trying to focus on finding a way out.

He turned the corner, and his eyes immediately focused on the bright green sign that was the only splash of color in the room.

_Exit._

He sighed in relief. Finally, he could be out of this maze.

Slowly, he ascended the staircase in front of him, listening to only the sounds of his own breathing and his footsteps echoing off of the walls. He hadn’t stopped to think about what would happen when he finally escaped, or what would be waiting for him outside. It was weird, but he had a gut feeling that he absolutely had to leave. That there was something he needed to do once he left. Someone he had to look for.

He reached the top of the stairs to see a large black door. He sucked in a breath, and pushed it as hard as he could. The door creaked open, and the boy gasped at the sight in front of him.

He was standing on a platform high in a giant black tree. Buildings of the city were floating in the air, ripped from their foundations, and spiked rocks jutted out from a purple ocean that had taken over the ground below.

The boy ran to the edge to see a strange creature floating in the skyline. It appeared to be a giant person in a dress hanging upside down from an equally large gear. A bright red smile was spread across its face, and it had no eyes or nose. 

The word popped into the boy's head. _Warlock._ He didn't know how he knew what that was, but he was certain that was what it was called. 

The boy turned his head away from the monster, and his eyes locked on to another figure standing on top of a building. It was another boy, this one with dark brown hair cut into a fringe style not unlike the first boy. He was clad in all black expect for a red cape and a gray shield hooked to his arm.

The first boy watched as he launched off of the building towards the warlock, seeming to fly towards it. The warlock must have sensed him, though, because another building came flying towards him. The building crashed into the boy, and he disappeared amongst the rubble. 

Seconds later, the boy reappeared in the air, farther away from the wreckage. The warlock sent blasts of flames his way, but the boy held them back with his shield. It seemed to take a lot out of him just to hold them back.

"That's awful..." The first boy breathed.

"It can't be helped."

The first boy turned to see a strange lion-like creature sitting next to him, only much smaller. "One person can't beat that monster on their own. Of course, you know that, don't you, Phil?"

The first boy, Phil, turned back to watch the other boy struggle against the flames.

"He knew that, too." The creature said. "And yet, he still came to fight."

"This isn't right! It's too much for him!" Phil exclaimed.

The flames finally overcame the boy, and the blast threw him backwards into a building, trapping him there. The boy's head turned towards Phil weakly, and Phil could swear that their eyes met, but the boy was too far away for Phil to know for sure. 

"If he gives up, it's over." Said the creature. "But you, Phil Lester...you have the power to change this destiny."

Phil stared at the creature, and at that moment, something smashed above him, startling him. He held his hands over his ears, hoping to block everything out. 

"All this tragedy. All this destruction. You can change it, if you wish it so." The creature said. "The power to do so lies within you."

Phil looked up. "I can change it?"

He watched the monster destroy the building the boy was stuck in, and the boy fell to the ground. He appeared to be screaming, but Phil couldn't hear him. 

"Even someone like me can do something to help?" Phil asked the creature, not being able to believe it. "Can I really change how this ends?"

"Of course you can!" The creature said. "Just make a contract with me, and become a magical boy!"

Phil looked away for a second, unsure, and caught a glimpse of the boy falling.

He could save him.

Phil looked back to the creature, staring it dead in its eyes. 

He knew what his choice was. 

 

***

 

Phil's eyes slowly opened to find himself back home in his bed. 

He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and looked around. Same room. Same bed. Same desk. Same massive collection of stuffed animals. 

He sighed. 

"That was a crazy dream..."

 

***

 

"So, what's up in your world?"

Phil stood at the sink next to his older brother, Martyn, brushing his teeth. 

"Well, Tyler got another love letter from that girl in class. I don't think she really understands he's not interested." Phil replied, his words muffled.

"What is this, the fifth one?" Martyn asked.

Phil nodded, and Martyn laughed. 

"Nice. Even if Tyler did like girls, I don't think a letter would be the best way to go."

Phil spat into the sink, and grabbed a cup to fill with water. "Why not?"

"A letter's too sappy." Martyn replied, shrugging. "At least, that's what I think. Hey, speaking of relationships, is your teacher still-" 

"-Talking about her boyfriend for most of class every day?" Phil finished, and rinsed the remaining toothpaste out of his mouth. "Yeah. She said something about it being their three month anniversary soon, I guess it's a new record."

Phil glanced over at his contact lenses in their case on the counter, sitting right next to his glasses. 

"Go with the glasses." Martyn said, answering Phil's unspoken question. 

"I'll look like a nerd." Phil said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Exactly. Be proud of your nerd-ism, Phil." Martyn said, a grin on his face. 

"Fine. But if anyone beats me up-"

"No one's going to beat you up because of glasses. And if they do, you send them my way." Martyn said, jokingly shoving Phil's shoulder as he left the room. 

 

***

 

"Hey, guys!" 

Phil raced to catch up with his two friends, both of which turned at the sound of his voice.

"Sorry I'm late." 

"Yeah, what took you so long, Phil?" Chris asked. "Going with glasses? Cool."

"Thanks." Phil smiled. "You don't think they're too...I don't know, nerdy?"

"Hey, what does that say about me if they are?" Tyler grinned, adjusting his own glasses.

"Probably that you're a nerd." Chris replied with a smile that almost matched Tyler's.

"Wow, someone should give you a Best Comeback of the Year award, Chris, because I have no idea how on earth I'll ever recover from that."

"Call 999, we just witnessed a fatal burn." Phil chimed in. 

"Oh, hush up." Chris said, and the three of them began to walk towards the school, not bothering to hurry.

"So, Martyn says even if you were into girls, a letter's too sappy of a way to go about it, so you shouldn't give two thoughts to her." 

"I wish it were that easy." Tyler said, turning around to face the other two. "She won't leave me alone, no matter how many times I tell her I'm not interested."

He sighed. "I guess I'm just too good-looking."

Chris laughed. "If only everyone could have your problems."

"Chris is right. I kind of wish I could get a love letter sometime. It'd be kind of nice, you know?" 

"Aha, now I get it." Chris said, pointing at Phil. "You're wearing those glasses so more girls will think you're cute, like they do with Tyler!"

"What? No, that's not it at all!" Phil protested. "My brother said-"

"You got your brother to tell you how to get girls, didn't you?" Chris accused, a smile on his face. "Well, we can't let you go get popular with all the girls, you'll leave us in the dust!"

"What? No way!" Phil said, jokingly shoving Chris. "I'd never leave you guys behind!"

At that moment, the bell from school rang. All three boys gave each other a look, and all simultaneously began sprinting for the door to the school building.

 

*** 

 

“I have something very important to discuss with you today class, so eyes front and ears open!” 

Phil bit back a laugh when he saw Chris jolt upright from where he had been half asleep with the sound of the teacher’s foot stomping on the ground. 

“What is the correct way to fry an egg, sunny side up, or down?” The teacher pointed directly at one of the kids at the front of the class. “I don’t have all day, Simon!” 

Phil silently thanked whatever god was listening that he didn’t sit up front as he watched the kid struggle. 

“Um, well...you can fry it either way, can’t you?” He stammered.

“Yes, precisely. You can fry it either way. Therefore, it goes without saying that you should never judge a woman’s looks by the way she fries her eggs! Remember, girls, never associate with a man who thinks like that!” 

Chris leaned over and whispered to Phil. “I guess it didn’t work out.”

“What possibly gave you that idea?” Phil replied, grinning.

“And you boys better not grow up to complain about the darn eggs are cooked, understand?”

Nobody in the class said anything, and the teacher sighed and smiled. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, let’s welcome our new classmate.”

“Shouldn’t that have come first?” Chris muttered, absentmindedly scribbling on his paper without looking at it.

Phil turned to see a boy with dark brown hair waiting by the door. He looked extremely bored, like he had done this a million times before.

“Don’t be shy.” The teacher said. “Why don’t you come up front so everyone can see you?”

He didn't say anything, but slowly walked towards the front.

A few girls squealed when they saw him. Literally squealed.

“Woah, Phil, he stole your hairstyle.” Chris joked.

Phil stared at the boy, and felt his heart skip over a beat. Not in the romantic way, though. He knew who the boy was.

It was the exact same boy from his dream.

“No way...it couldn’t be…” He breathed, so quiet that not even Chris heard him.

“Why don’t you tell the class a little bit about yourself?” The teacher suggested.

“My name’s Daniel Howell. It’s nice to meet you.” He said, but it didn’t sound like he meant it.

He looked across the room, and his eyes landed on Phil and stayed there.

Phil’s eyes widened for a second before looking away, not sure what to do. What do you do if you see someone who you only saw in a dream in real life? Phil didn’t think there were any proper social skills to use in the situation.

The entire class was silent, and Daniel’s eyes stayed locked on Phil.

“Okay!” The teacher said, breaking the silence. “You can take that seat up front then. Now, let’s begin.”

 

***

 

“That guy is awfully mysterious, don’t you think?” Tyler asked, staring over at the crowd of girls that had surrounded Daniel. Phil could hear them asking him questions from the opposite side of the room. 

“Hey, Phil, do you know that guy?” Chris asked, turning to Phil. “I could swear he was glaring at you earlier. Like, full on death stare.”

“Well, actually, I’m not really sure.” Phil said, nervously grinning.

“Oh, I could take you!” Phil heard one of the girls say, and looked back over.

“No, that’s fine, I’ll just ask the Teacher’s Assistant.” Daniel said in the same tone he had in the beginning of the class, and stood up.

Phil realized with a jolt that he was the Teacher’s Assistant, and nervously looked away from Daniel. The guy was freaking him out a little. He wasn’t sure how someone from one of his dreams could be in real life, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to speak to him. He quietly hoped he would mistake the Teacher’s Assistant to be one of the other girls.

No such luck.

Daniel walked right up to Phil’s desk, ignoring both Chris and Tyler. “You’re Phil Lester, right?”

“Um, yeah.” Phil said, his voice small. “Yeah. That’s me.”

“And you are the Teacher’s Assistant?”

“Yes.”

“Can you please show me the way to the Nurse’s Office?”

 

***

 

Phil walked behind Daniel through the halls of the school, nervously intertwining his fingers together and untangling them again.

"Um...so...how did you know I was the Teacher's Assistant for the class?"

A few seconds went by with no response. Phil stared at the floor. Maybe Daniel wasn't one for talking. 

"The teacher told me." He finally spoke, startling Phil a bit. 

"Oh, of course she did!" Phil said, feeling relieved that Daniel wasn't some creepy stalker. "By the way, the Nurse's Office is to your-"

Phil stopped when he saw Daniel going the right way. 

"This way, right?" He asked. 

"Uh, yeah." Phil said, going back to messing with his fingers and ignoring the stares that Daniel was attracting from other students as best as he could. "So, how do you know your way around? I mean, you're new here and all..."

Daniel didn't say a word, he only continued down the hall with his back to Phil.

"Um, Daniel?" Phil asked.

"Dan." He replied. 

"What?"

"You can call me Dan." 

"Huh. Dan." Phil said.

"Yes?" 

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that I've never really known a Dan." 

When Dan went silent again, Phil worried. Maybe he had said something that offended him?

"Not that Dan's a bad name, I think it's pretty cool!" He said, smiling. 

Dan stopped, turning around and staring Phil directly in the eyes. Phil froze in place, suddenly realizing the hallway they were both in was empty. They were the only two around. He looked back to Dan, and it felt like Dan's brown eyes were staring straight through him. 

"Phil, do you treasure the life you currently live?" Dan asked. "Do you consider your family and friends precious to you?" 

Phil stepped back slightly. What was he talking about? "O-of course. I mean, I do. Of course I do."

"Do you mean that?" 

"Of course! I couldn't lie about that! My family, and my friends. I love them all very much, and yes, they're very precious to me!"

"Good." Dan said. "Then you wouldn't try changing the person you are now, would you?"

"Dan, what are you talking about?" Phil asked. 

"Because if you do," Dan continued, ignoring Phil's question. "You will lose everything you love."

Phil took in a sharp breath, feeling his heart beat faster in fear. Was Dan going to hurt him?

"Don't change. Stay as you are." Dan said, turning around. "Stay as you are, forever."

And with that, Dan walked down the hall towards the Nurse's Office, but Phil stayed, feeling like he was rooted in place.

 

***

 

"Huh? He said _what?"_

Chris stared across the cafe table at Phil, not sure whether or not he was joking.

"It doesn't make any sense, does it?" Phil agreed. 

"And here I was, thinking he seemed like a pretty cool guy who could come and hang out with us sometime, but it turns out he's a crazy psycho! I hope he doesn't think acting like a cryptic anime character is cool! That's so low, it makes me sick!" Chris exclaimed, slamming his head on the table. 

Tyler rolled his eyes at Chris, and turned back to Phil. "Are you positive you've never met him before?"

Phil shifted in his seat. "Well, I guess the true answer would be yes-"

"Okay, what do you mean by true answer?" Chris asked, sitting back up. "Either you met him or you didn't."

"Well, it's...you're going to think I'm weird, but I first met him in a dream...I think."

Both Chris and Tyler burst into laughter, and Phil gave them both a look. 

"Phil, I think you've been watching too much anime!" Chris grinned. 

"C'mon, that's mean, this is really bugging me!" Phil exclaimed. 

"I've got it all figured out." Chris said. "You two knew each other in a past life, and fate has reached across time and space to bring you together again!" 

Tyler shook his head at Chris's antics. "In your dream, what happened when you met him?"

"That's the thing, I can't really remember." Phil shrugged. "I do remember it was a really weird dream."

"Well, if you want my opinion, I think it's totally possible you've met Dan somewhere before."

"Huh?" Phil asked. 

"You may not remember it, but your subconscious certainly took note of him. Then, your subconscious brought up the image of him in your dream."

"Seriously? Isn't that a little bit too coincidental?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at Tyler. 

Tyler shrugged. "Maybe." 

He pulled out his phone. "Oh God, is it that late already? Sorry guys, I have to go. Parents want me home studying by five thirty." 

"And there's another reason I'm glad my parents don't get on me about grades." Chris said as Tyler stood, picking up his backpack.

"We should get going, too." Phil agreed, standing up from the table. 

"Hey, Phil. Would you mind if we stop by the music store on the way home?" Chris asked. 

"Sure. Something for Connor, again?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, maybe." Chris admitted, smiling a little.

 

***

 

Farther away, a small creature that resembled a lion ran throughout a dark corridor. Bright red blasts of light shot at it, and it dodged almost every single one before being hit, sending it crashing to the ground. It quickly got back up and darted further into the darkness.

A figure stepped into the hall. A boy. 

He stood there for a few moments, before heading in the same direction the creature had ran, his red cape flying out from behind him, providing the only splash of color in the whole corridor.

 

***

 

Phil slid the headphones over his ears at the station next to Chris, and scrolled through the options of songs on the screen in front of him absentmindedly. He selected one with a title so long it didn't fit on the screen. Just the genre he liked best. 

He closed his eyes and bobbed his head to the music, and finally felt relaxed for the first time that day. He hadn't realized how on edge the whole Dan situation had left him until that moment, where it was just him and some music he liked.

_"Help me!"_

Phil's eyes opened with a start as he heard a voice. He looked over at Chris, wondering if he was just trying to scare him, but no. Chris was intently staring at the screen, not paying any attention to Phil. 

Phil took off the headphones, wondering if he had maybe heard someone else.

_"Phil, help me!"_

Phil turned around when he heard the voice again, but no one else in the store was looking his way. Phil cupped a hand around his ear, wondering if he was just hearing things.

_"Please, help me!"_

The voice sounded like it was coming from outside the store and somewhere in the mall. Phil walked out of the store towards the voice, both curious and concerned. 

Chris looked over to see his friend leaving the store without him, and slid the headphones off of his ears. 

"Phil?" He asked, but Phil was too far away to hear him. 

 

***

 

Phil had walked all the way to a part of the mall that was marked as under construction. No other people were around. 

"Hello?" He asked aloud. "Are you here?"

" _Help me..._ " The voice spoke again, but it sounded like it was getting weaker. Phil was certain it was coming from inside the area under construction. 

He carefully slipped through the door, hoping that no one would see him and that he wouldn't get into massive trouble for being somewhere off limits. He didn't think ' _I heard a voice begging me to help them coming from here_ ' would be a good enough excuse for any mall cop. 

He walked slowly through the dark corridor, his nerves starting to get the better of him.

"Where are you?" He called. "Um...do I know you? How do you know my name?" 

He froze when he heard something moving above him, and looked up to see a ceiling panel shaking.

Suddenly, it fell through, crashing to the ground. Phil stumbled backwards, and ended up falling to the ground on his back. 

He pushed himself up onto his hands, and looked in front of him to see what looked to be like a very small lion. It was bleeding, and didn't seem like it would be alive much longer. 

Phil got closer, scooping up the small lion in his arms. "Are...are you what was calling out to me?"

He felt stupid for even suggesting it, but the lion looked up at him, and Phil heard the voice in his mind, clear as a bell. 

_"Help me..."_

A sudden crash startled Phil, and he snapped his head up to see a person standing in front of him. 

"Dan?" 

"Get away from that creature." Dan said, staring at Phil. 

Dan was in the same strange outfit he had worn in Phil's dream, and Phil felt like it was too spot on to be a coincidence. Same black clothes, same red cape, same gray shield hooked to Dan's arm.

"But...but he's really hurt!" Phil protested. 

Something told Phil that Dan was trying to kill the lion, and Phil instinctively turned so that he was guarding the lion. "Don't do something cruel! Why are you trying to hurt him?"

"This doesn't concern you." Dan said, taking a few steps towards Phil. 

"But he called out to me! He was asking me to help him!" Phil exclaimed. 

"Really?" Dan asked, but he didn't seem like he would care what the answer was. 

For ten long seconds, they both stayed in silence, looking at each other. Phil wasn't sure what was going to happen once the tension broke. 

Suddenly, a continuous spray of foam was blasting at Dan, knocking him down. Phil turned to see Chris with a fire extinguisher in his hands, spraying it directly at Dan.

"Over here, Phil!" Chris called. 

"Chris!" Phil exclaimed, relieved. He stood, running over to his friend, the lion still in his arms. 

Chris finished spraying the foam, and threw the fire extinguisher in Dan's direction. "Come on!" He yelled to Phil, and both of them started running down the corridor.

Phil didn't look back to see if the fire extinguisher had actually hit Dan. He followed Chris down the hall as fast as his legs could take him, more scared than he had ever been in his life. 

"Now he's attacking you in cosplay?" Chris asked as they ran. "What's his problem? And what's that thing you're carrying? It looks like a stuffed animal, is it alive?"

"I don't know!" Phil exclaimed. "I don't know what any of this means, but we have to save him!"

Both boys ran towards the exit, but seconds before they reached it, it vanished, and they were left in what seemed like a giant room made completely of paper mache that was consistently changing. Short walls and piles of seemingly random distorted flowers kept reappearing and disappearing.

"Wha-where'd the exit go?" Chris asked, looking around. "Where are we?"

"I don't like this," Phil said. "Everything keeps changing!" 

"Oh, crap. How are we supposed to leave now?" 

Phil jumped when he heard something behind him. "I think something's over there!"

A strange creature jumped out from behind a pile of the flowers. It looked like a cotton ball with a mustache and legs, only it had dark sunken eyes that reminded Phil of a slightly fluffier version of something straight out of Silent Hill. 

He screamed more high pitched than he would have liked to admit, and backed up. 

"No good! There's more over here, too!" Chris exclaimed, stopping Phil from backing up any further. 

The two boys stood back to back as more of the creatures appeared, surrounding them. 

"This is a dream." Chris muttered. "I'm stuck in some crazy dream, but I am dreaming, right? Right, Phil?"

Phil didn't respond, only held the lion closer to him in fear. 

Suddenly, ribbons dropped from the ceiling, forming a circle that blocked the creatures from them. A blinding pink light shone from the ribbons towards the creatures, and both boys shielded their eyes. When the light died, they looked back to see the creatures gone. 

"Woah." Chris said. 

"What?" Phil asked. 

"That was a close one, wasn't it?" 

The two turned to see a girl walking towards them. Her blond hair was pink at the ends, and she held a strange looking pink gem in her hand that gave off a bright light. 

"But don't worry, you're safe now." She looked at the lion in Phil's arms. "Oh, you rescued Lion for me! Thank you! He's a dear friend of mine, I was so worried!" 

"He..." Phil started, not really certain what to make of the girl. "He called out to me. I could hear his voice inside my head."

"Ah, I see." The girl said. "Those uniforms, they're from the local middle school, right? Are you eighth graders?"

"Hang on." Chris said. "Who are you?"

"Oh, that's right. I should probably introduce myself." The girl said. 

At that moment, multiple chains embellished with thorns shot out of the ground behind the girl, and more of the strange creatures appeared behind the chains. Phil jumped back, and almost fell over.

"Actually, it's going to have to wait a bit." The girl said, and turned towards the monsters. 

She threw the pink gem into the air, and it levitated in midair, before starting to glow even brighter than before. 

The girl looked back to Phil and Chris. "Please excuse me, I have to wrap this up first."

She stepped underneath the gem, and she herself began to glow pink.

Phil blinked, and she was stood in a different outfit, the gem above her head gone. She was dressed completely in pink, aside from a few white accents. 

The girl jumped into the air and levitated there, which would have been enough to blow Phil's mind, but then she waved her hand, and somewhere around one hundred pink muskets appeared in the air around her, all pointed towards the monsters.

She raised her hand, and all of the muskets fired at once, the bullets slicing through the monsters. The monsters disappeared the second the bullets touched them, and the girl dropped back down to the ground.

Chris and Phil stood with their mouths wide open, not being able to believe what they were seeing. 

The strange paper mache room dissipated around them, revealing that they were back in the dark corridor. 

"We're back!" Chris said, sighing in relief. 

Phil turned when he heard the sound of a person landing on the ground, and there he saw Dan. Dan stood opposite of them and the girl, and for once, his eyes weren't on Phil. He was glaring at the girl. 

The girl smiled at him. "The warlock escaped. If you head after it now, you might be able to catch it. I won't mind if you take it this time."

"I still have work here." Dan said in his usual flat tone. 

"You don't read between the lines very well, do you?" The girl said. "I'm telling you that I'm willing to overlook this."

There was silence, something Phil was starting to get used to. Chris stood in front of Phil, partially blocking him and the lion from Dan. 

"Honestly, don't you think it would be better if we didn't do this right now?" The girl asked. 

Dan stayed still and silent for a few more seconds. Finally, he slowly turned around, and walked down the hall opposite from where he had came.

Both Chris and Phil let out a sigh of relief, and Phil looked up to see to see the girl smiling at them.

 

***

 

Phil watched the glow come from the girl's hands over top of the lion, who had been set carefully on the ground. The lion's injuries slowly healed completely as the girl held her hands over him, and slowly, the lion opened it's eyes. 

It sat up, and Chris leaned away from it as if he were scared of it. 

"Thank you, Louise!" The lion said. "You're a life saver!"

"I'm not the one you should be thanking." The girl, Louise, said, smiling. "They saved you, I was just passing by."

The lion turned towards Phil and Chris. "Thank you very much! My name is Lion!"

"Were you the one who was calling me?" Phil asked, staring at the lion in wonder. 

"Yes I was, Phil Lester! And Chris Kendall!"

Chris's eyes widened. "Woah, hang on a second, how do you know our names?"

"I called you because I have a proposition for the both of you!" 

"What do you mean?" Phil asked, curiosity getting the better of him. 

"I want you both to make contracts with me, and become magical boys!"

 

 


	2. That Would Be Truly Amazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Phil learn a little more about what it's like to be a magical person with Louise, as Dan continues to watch from a distance, and Phil can't help but wonder if Dan's really as bad as everyone else thinks he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know. It's been a while. But I'm super busy with a lot of other stuff, and this thing is fun to write, but not exactly at the top of my priority list, so don't expect updates to be too frequent. Sorry! :(

"I'm Louise Pentland. I'm a ninth grader at the local high school. And-"

Lion jumped into her arms as she stood up.

"Once I made a contract with Lion, I became a magical girl!"

 

***

 

Phil's eyes slowly opened to see his familiar bedroom ceiling above him. 

He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and yawned. 

"Another weird dream." He mumbled to himself. 

He looked at the collection of stuffed animals on his shelf, and there sat Lion. 

"Good morning, Phil!" Lion said, tilting his head to the side. 

Phil jumped a little, taking a second to remember what had happened yesterday hadn't been a dream, and laughed. 

 

***

 

"Hey, Phil, heard you got in late last night." 

Phil nodded, squirting toothpaste onto his toothbrush as he stood at the bathroom sink with his brother. "Yeah, I got invited over to a friend's house for a bit."

"Well, Mum got a little worried. I covered for you, but you might want to let her know where you're going beforehand. She might start putting curfews on both of us, and that wouldn't be fun."

"Yeah, I will. Sorry." Phil smiled. 

Phil looked over at laundry basket in the corner of the bathroom to see Lion, curled up on the clothes, fast asleep. 

Martyn hadn't made a single comment on the tiny, sleeping lion. 

 _People really can't see him_ , Phil thought, and started to brush his teeth, thinking about the night before. 

 

***

 

"Woah, cool apartment!" Phil exclaimed, as he and Chris followed Louise into the room. 

"Thanks." Louise smiled. "I live alone, so feel free to make yourselves at home. But by the way of refreshments, I don't really have much." 

In a matter of fifteen minutes, Phil and Chris were sitting on a small couch opposite of Louise, who sat in a chair. Each of them had a small bag of chips, and were absentmindedly munching on them as they talked. 

"So, since Lion chose the both of you, that means you're both involved in this, like it or not." Louise said. "I figured it'd be a good idea to have a chat."

"Sure, ask us anything you'd like." Chris smiled. 

"Chris, I think you've got it backwards." Phil said. 

Louise smiled, and pulled the same pink gem they had seen earlier out of her pocket. 

"Woah, cool!" Phil said, staring at the gem. 

"It's called a Soul Gem." Louise explained. "When Lion chooses a person, one is created when they make a contract with him to become a magical person. It's the source of our magic, and proves that we're magical people."

"What's this contract you keep talking about?" Chris asked. 

"I will grant you one wish!" Lion said. "Any wish you desire!" 

"Woah, really?" Chris asked. 

"Anything at all?" Phil added. 

"Of course!" Lion said. "I can grant the most impossible of miracles."

"So, we could wish for anything?" Chris asked. "Like, a mountain of treasure? Or eternal youth? Or a one-hundred course feast?" 

"Maybe that last one's a bit much." Phil grinned.

"In exchange for that wish, your Soul Gem is created." Lion explained. "However, if you possess a Soul Gem, it is your duty to fight witches and warlocks."

Phil and Chris both looked over at Louise, confused. 

"Witches and warlocks?" Phil asked. 

 

***

 

Phil was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of the tap being turned back on. 

"Hey, Martyn?" Phil asked. 

"Hm?"

"If someone came to you, and told you that you could have one wish, any wish in the world, what would it be?" 

Martyn hesitated. "Huh. That's a weird one, even for you, Phil."

"Hey!"

Martyn shrugged. "I don't know. I'd probably wish to pass Biology. You know how terrible I am at that." 

"You're not bad." Phil said. 

"A 37 isn't good, Phil, and you know it. But hey, wish or no wish, I got it under control. I hope." Martyn smiled, and left the bathroom. 

Phil turned back to the sink, letting his thoughts drift again. 

 

***

 

"So, what is a witch or a warlock? Are they different from magical people?" Chris asked. 

"If magical people are said to be born from wishes, then witches and warlocks are born from curses." Lion said. "Magical people bring hope to the world, witches and warlocks bring despair. And because they are invisible to humans, they're that much more insidious. Anxiety, mistrust, anger, hatred? A witch or a warlock spread these emotions like the plague."

"Things like suicides that can't be explained and murders without any motive? A witch's or warlock's curse is most likely the cause." Louise added. "It festers inside a person, and grows and grows until it consumes them from the inside out."

"If there are things like that out there, why don't people know about them?" Chris asked, leaning forward slightly, anxious to hear more.

"They're very careful not to allow any humans to see them." Lion explained. "They hide deep within labyrinths they create. That maze-like place you were in today? Where everything kept changing? That was a labyrinth." 

"To be honest, you were both in a lot of danger." Louise said. "Labyrinths are fatal to humans. If a human wanders into one, they very rarely make it out alive." 

"Is that what you do, Louise? You fight these things?" Phil asked. 

She nodded. "Most times, at the risk of my own life. That's why you really need to think before deciding. Lion chose you and offered a rare chance. It's true he'll grant you any wish you desire, but remember, danger and death come with that deal."

"Ugh, now I'm stressed." Chris said, falling back against the back of the couch.

"No kidding." Phil agreed. 

Louise smiled. "I know it's a tough decision, so maybe you two could join me on a few witch hunts? Seeing what fighting them is like may help you to make your decision."

"Really?" Chris and Phil said, almost simultaneously. 

"Why not?" Louise replied. "You should think about your decision. Ask yourselves if there's something you want bad enough that you'd risk your life for it."

 

***

 

"Good morning!" Phil yelled as he ran to catch up with Chris and Tyler, who were walking alone on the path to school. 

"Hey, Phil." Tyler smiled, turning around to see him. 

"Hey, what's u-um!" Chris said, turning to see Lion perched on Phil's shoulder. 

"Good morning, Chris!" Lion greeted. 

Tyler looked over at Chris's shocked expression. "You look like you're going to be sick, Chris, are you alright?" 

"I-" Chris stuttered. "I'm fine. Let's keep going." 

"Okay?" Tyler said, confused, but they continued walking, with Phil close behind.

" _It looks like we can talk to each other like this now_." Phil thought, testing out a trick Lion had told him about earlier. 

When Chris jumped, Phil guessed it had worked. 

Chris turned, staring at him, and Phil heard his voice in his head. 

" _What? You mean we already have magical powers?_ "

" _No, no._ " Phil heard Lion's voice. " _I just connected you two to my telepathy powers. It's much easier to communicate about things around others, doesn't it?_ "

Chris turned back around, ignoring the strange look Tyler was giving him. " _It feels sort of...weird._ " 

As Phil caught up with Chris, he heard Tyler speak up. "Hey, what's going on, you two? You keep staring at each other."

"Oh, nothing's really going on." Phil said, staring at the floor. He was a terrible liar. 

Tyler dropped his schoolbag. "No way. You two did not." 

"What?" Chris asked. 

"You're looking at each other like you can speak to each other with just your eyes. But it takes a lot to get to that level of trust, so what the hell did you do after I left yesterday?"

"Ugh, I can't believe you're going there." Chris said. 

"Well, a lot of things did happen yesterday, but-" Phil started. 

"I knew it!" Tyler said. "Great, my two best friends started dating each other before I could even find a boyfriend. I'm sorry, I'm being a third wheel!" 

"Tyler, wait!" Phil called, watching Tyler run towards the school. 

"You forgot your bag!" Chris called, grinning. 

Phi turned, staring at him. 

"What?" Chris asked. "It's funny that he thinks we're dating. Although, he should know better." 

Phil sighed. "Don't know what's into him today. He's acting as nuts as you, Chris."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" 

 

***

 

Phil sat down at his desk, and Lion hopped off of his shoulder, sitting down on top of it. 

Chris sat down at his own seat, next to Phil. " _Hey, are you sure it's a good idea for you to be here, Lion?_ " 

" _Why wouldn't it be?_ " Lion asked. 

" _Well, that psycho guy who was trying to kill you yesterday just transferred to our class. Aren't you worried he might try to hurt you?_ "

" _Actually, I think school is the safest place for me. He can't lash out at me here, it would only cause people to think he was crazy. Besides, Louise is here!_ "

" _Not really. Louise is at the school next door, the high school._ " Phil protested. 

" _Don't worry, I can hear you all perfectly._ "

Phil and Chris jumped at the sound of Louise's voice. 

" _I can still reach her from here with my telepathy._ " Lion explained. 

" _O-oh! Good morning!_ " Phil said. 

" _Don't worry about him, you two. I'll keep a close watch. Besides, he doesn't seem like the type to strike out in public._ "

" _If you say so_." Chris said. 

Almost as if on cue, Dan walked into class, sitting down at his desk a few rows in front of Phil. 

" _Ugh, speak of the devil._ " Chris said. 

Phil scooped up Lion, hugging him closer to keep him safe as Dan turned, staring at him just as he had done yesterday. 

Just like he had earlier, Phil thought about the night before. 

 

***

 

"So, that transfer student, he's like you? A magical person?" Chris asked. 

"Yes, there's no doubt. And he appears to be a very powerful one as well." Louise replied. 

"Well, then, he's a good guy, right? If he fights warlocks and witches and stuff. So, why would he attack Phil out of the blue like that?"

"It was me he was after." Lion spoke up. "I think he was trying to keep me from making a new contract with another magical person."

"But, why would he do that?" Chris asked. "If we're all on the same side, and we're all fighting the same enemy, wouldn't it be better if there were more of us?" 

Phil noted how Chris was already referring to magical people as "us". Maybe he had already made his decision. 

"Actually, not exactly." Louise said. "It's more common for magical people to fight each other." 

"What? But why?" Phil asked. 

"When you defeat a witch or a warlock, you get certain rewards that are extremely valuable to a magical person. That's why, given some circumstances, magical people will fight each other for the right to those rewards."

"So, the reason that transfer student was staring at Phil was because he knew Lion was trying to contact him? He saw Phil as competition?" Chris asked. 

"Most likely, yes." Louise said, and waved her hand over her gem, and it shrunk into a small charm, latching on to a thin silver chain necklace around her neck. 

 

***

 

" _Don't worry, Phil._ " 

Chris's voice brought Phil back to the present, as Dan continued to stare at him. 

" _If he tries anything or steps out of line, I'll punch his lights out. Besides, Louise is here to back us up._ " 

" _That's right." Louise said. "I'm right next door, so there's nothing to worry about, regardless of Chris and his punches._ "

" _Hey, what do you mean regardless?_ " Chris asked, and Phil laughed a little. 

 

***

 

During lunch, Chris and Phil made their way to the roof of the school alone. Tyler had gotten caught up with some of his other friends from his History class, and had gone to sit with them in the main cafeteria. Today, the rooftop was quiet, with no one but Chris and Phil to enjoy it. 

"Here you go." Phil said, feeding a chip to Lion. 

"Hey, Phil." Chris started. "You figure out what you want to wish for?" 

"No." Phil admitted. "What about you?" 

"I don't have a clue." Chris said, stretching his arms. "I'm totally stumped. There's a lot of things I want, but maybe it's the risk your life part that's getting me. Nothing I want's really worth that much." 

"Yeah." Phil sighed, as Chris stood, walking over to the fence that surrounded the rooftop and looked out over the city. 

"That's so odd." Lion said. "Most people I make my offer to accept immediately." 

"Huh. Then I guess we don't know any better." Chris said. 

"You think?" Phil asked. 

"Yep. We're blissfully ignorant." Chris said. "Just think about it. Have you ever wanted something so bad that you'd trade your life for it? There's plenty of people with a lot less than us who would jump at a chance like this."

Phil stared at him as Chris's fingers tightened around the chain-link fence. 

"We can't figure out what to wish for. That makes us blissfully ignorant to any kind of suffering. Why us? Why did we get this chance?"

"Chris..." Phil said. 

"It's not fair, y'know?" Chris said, turning back around. "I get to have a wish, but there's a lot of people who deserve it a lot more." 

At that moment, another person walked out on to the roof, and Phil immediately stood up, blocking Lion. 

Dan. 

Chris ran over, standing next to Phil. 

" _Don't worry._ "

They both jumped slightly at the voice, and turned to see Louise standing on the roof of the high school, holding up her Soul Gem. Watching. Ready to fight if necessary. Phil suddenly felt a lot safer. 

"So, you're not satisfied with yesterday and you're back for more?" Chris asked, glaring daggers at Dan. 

"I'm not here to fight." Dan said in his usual flat tone. "I wanted to kill it before it made contact with Phil. It's too late for that now." 

Dan looked at Phil, staring him directly in the eyes. "So, now what? Are you going to make a contract?" 

"Um..." Phil said. 

"Yeah, right. Like it's any of your business." Chris retorted. 

Dan ignored him. "I warned you yesterday. Do you remember that?" 

"Yes." Phil said. 

"Good. I hope my warning's not in vain." Dan said, and turned, beginning to leave the rooftop. 

"Dan, wait!" Phil called, and Dan stopped, but didn't turn around. 

"When you made your contract, what did you wish for?" 

Dan turned his head slightly, staring at Phil, and Phil might have imagined it, but it seemed like he was almost sad. 

Not saying anything, Dan turned back around, and left the rooftop. 

 

***

 

"Hey, Tyler." 

Phil watched as Tyler turned from his locker to the sound of Chris's voice. 

"Sorry, but we have a few errands to run, so-" Chris started. 

"Something private?" Tyler asked. 

"Well-" Phil started. 

Tyler grinned. "Alright, so maybe I'm a little jealous, but it's cool. Go do your boyfriend stuff or whatever, but I gotta go. See you!" 

He waved as he left, and Chris sighed. "Once again, he's got it all wrong."

"At least he's not mad at us." Phil suggested. 

 

***

 

"Okay, time for lesson one of the Being a Magical Person Experience." Louise smiled as she, Chris, and Phil sat around the table in the small cafe. "That's what I like to call it, anyway."

"I don't know if it'll make much of a difference, but-" Chris started, reaching into his bag and pulling out a baseball bat. "I brought this! I mean, I know it's not much, but I figured it'd be better than going in with nothing right?" 

"Well, let's just say I'm glad you're going into this with that mindset." Louise smiled at him. 

Chris turned towards Phil. "What about you, Phil? What'd you bring?" 

"Oh, um..." Phil said, rummaging through his bag and pulling out a notebook. "I didn't really prepare anything, but I was just doodling these in class, and I figured it'd be a good idea to come up with a costume idea?" 

Both Chris and Louise looked at Phil's doodles, and burst into laughter. 

Phil sighed, sinking lower in his chair. 

"You've certainly got enough spirit for this!" Louise said. 

"That's awesome! You've totally got my baseball bat beat!" Chris laughed.

 

***

 

The three of them stood together in the same abandoned hallway they had been in yesterday, surrounding Louise's hand, where her Soul Gem sat. It faintly glowed in short bursts. 

"It's detecting the witch's magic." Louise explained. "When we hunt, we have to scour the city on foot. Once your Soul Gem picks up a trail, you simply follow it until you find a witch or a warlock." 

"Oh. That's it, huh?" Chris said, as they began to walk, following Louise's trail. 

After a while, they had made it to a bridge nearing the edge of town. 

"So, what now? Your gem's not glowing any brighter." Chris pointed out. 

"That's because it's been a full day since the witch escaped." Louise replied. "The trail's gotten pretty faint." 

"So, if you had followed it right after it attacked us yesterday..." Phil began. 

"I may have been able to finish it off, but I would have had to leave you two behind. After what you had seen, I didn't want to risk it." 

"Sorry." Phil apologized, staring at his shoes. 

"Don't be." Louise smiled. "It's no problem."

"Yep! You're truly an ally of justice, Louise!" Chris grinned. "Not like that transfer student. What's his deal, anyway? He really pisses me off!" 

Phil thought about the slightly sad look Dan had given him that afternoon, right after Phil had asked what he had wished for. 

 _I wonder_ , Phil thought to himself. _Is he really a bad person?_  

"Hey, Louise?" Chris said, seemingly finished with yelling about Dan. "When you're hunting a witch, do you go any place special to find them?" 

Louise thought for a minute before responding. "Well, yes. Sometimes you can find traces of a witch or a warlock around fatal car crashes, so I check streets with heavy traffic. Then, I check more violent parts of the city, where fights tend to break out more. Also, I check out of the way places that people might go to commit suicide. Then, I check hospitals. It's unbearable to see them there, sucking the life from a helpless person who's already weak from illness." 

Suddenly, she stopped as her Soul Gem began glowing a bright yellow. 

"It's picked up some powerful magic." She said. "And it's close." 

 

***

 

Chris and Phil followed Louise as she ran towards the front of an abandoned building, her Soul Gem growing brighter with every stride. 

"There's no mistake." She said. "It's here!" 

Chris gasped. "Look, up there!" 

A woman was standing at the ledge of the top of the building, and right after Chris yelled, she jumped, starting to fall from the ground. 

Phil screamed, and Chris covered his eyes, but Louise jumped into action, transforming and sending a net of ribbons up to catch the woman, lowering her safely to the ground. 

Chris and Phil ran up to Louise, who was staring at a strange mark on the woman's neck that appeared to be shaped like a butterfly. 

"A Witch's Kiss." Louise said. "I knew it." 

"Is she dead?" Phil asked.

"No, she just fainted, that's all. We've got to go, come on!" 

She ran to the door, Chris and Phil close behind, before slowing to a walk as she entered, as if she was afraid she'd set off a land mine. The two boys copied her pace, looking around the abandoned building for anything strange. Chris held up his baseball bat in defense. 

Suddenly, a glowing circle appeared in front of them, with the same insignia they had seen on the woman's neck brandished across it. 

Louise smiled. "I won't let you get away this time." 

She reached over, placing a hand on Chris's baseball bat, and instantly, it changed into a much more impressive looking one, and it glowed slightly. 

"Woah, look at that!" Chris exclaimed, as Louise began to ascend a set of steps up to the portal. 

"I know it's not much, but it will help you fend off anything that tries to attack." She said, stopping at the entrance of the portal. "But once we're in there, stay close, okay?"

"Okay!" Phil and Chris said in unison, and raced up the stairs to meet her, all three of them entering the portal together.

 

***

 

As they ran through the labyrinth, strange creatures continued to fly at the three of them. Louise must have made at least fifteen different muskets appear when not even fifteen minutes had passed, shooting down the strange creatures that reminded Phil of scary looking ice-cream cones. 

"Get back! Get back!" Chris yelled, swinging his baseball bat, which created a shield behind the three of them, blocking the strange creatures from hitting them from behind. 

"So, how about it?" Louise asked as they ran through yet another hallway. "Are you two scared yet?" 

"Y-yeah right!" Chris yelled. "As if!" 

Suddenly, Louise stopped, holding her arm out to block the two of them from going over a bridge that the strange creatures were zooming over top, making it impossible to pass. She made another gun materialize, and shot it at the creatures, and as one came to close, slammed the gun into the creature's body, causing it to fall apart. 

Chris and Phil watched, not noticing the huge swarm of the creatures forming behind them, before Louise turned around. 

"Duck!" She yelled, and they obeyed, watching as she shot the swarm once, twice, three times before it finally evaporated into nothing. 

 _I am scared_ , Phil thought. _But..._

He didn't have time to finish thinking as they continued to run. 

"Keep going!" Lion encouraged. "We're almost at the center of the labyrinth!"

They stopped at the edge of a pit that was filled with the strange cotton-ball like creatures they had encountered yesterday. Louise jumped down into it, materializing multiple guns behind her and firing all at once, clearing out the pit in seconds.

Suddenly, some invisible force pulled all three of them through a door that appeared, slamming it shut behind them, and when Phil looked, they were stood at the edge of another pit, only this one was much larger. In the center, stood a giant being that looked as though it was made of a disgusting combination of paper mache and human organs. 

"Look. That is a witch." Louise said. 

"Ew, gross..." Chris muttered. 

"You're going to fight that thing?" Phil asked. 

"I'll be fine." Louise smiled, taking Chris's baseball bat and absentmindedly spinning it around. "As though I would lose to that!" 

Without warning, she slammed the baseball bat into the ground, forming a glowing shield around Chris and Phil. 

"Stay behind, okay?" She called, and jumped into the pit. 

The witch immediately turned toward her, and two muskets appeared in her hands. 

The witch conjured up-was that a giant _couch?_ -and tossed it directly at Louise, who jumped out of the way and fired at it, disintegrating it into nothing. 

The witch began to fly around the room, and Louise conjured group of muskets that stuck out of the ground, taking them one by one and firing at the witch. 

Suddenly, a rope shot out of the ground, wrapping around Louise as she tried to get it off of her. She was lifted into the air to the point where she was hanging upside down, and she struggled against the rope as she continued to fire at the witch. The rope lurched backwards, and slammed Louise directly into a wall. 

"Oh no!" Chris yelled. "Louise!" 

The rope pulled her back out of the wall, dangling her upside down. 

"I'm fine!" She called. "I'm not going to let this thing let me look like a fool in front of my magical person trainees!" 

Multiple pink ribbons suddenly shot up from the ground, ensnaring the witch in place. 

"Let's wrap this up, shall we?" Louise smiled, as one of the ribbons sliced the rope around her waist, and she was free to move again. She turned herself right-side up in midair, and summoned the largest gun Phil had ever seen in his life. The end of it glowed as it powered up. 

"TIRO FINALE!" Louise yelled, pulling the trigger and firing a huge blast of light towards the witch. The witch was wrapped up in a giant beam of light, and exploded into pieces as Louise touched down to the ground, brushing off her skirt. 

"You won?" Chris asked. 

"Awesome!" Phil exclaimed. 

The Labyrinth began to vanish around them, leaving them on one of the higher floors of the abandoned building. Louise de-transformed, walking over to a small black thing lying on the ground. She picked it up, walking back over to the two boys. 

"This is a Grief Seed." She explained. "It's a witch's or a warlock's egg." 

"An egg?" Chris asked. 

"Witches and warlocks carry them sometimes. If you're lucky, you'll find one after a battle." 

"Don't worry." Lion said. "When they're like this, they're perfectly safe. In fact, they're valuable because of what they can do."

Louise pulled her Soul Gem from her necklace. "The color of my Soul Gem looks duller than it did last night, doesn't it?" 

"Now that you mention it, yeah." Chris said. 

"But, you see, if I do this with the Grief Seed..." Louise said, and touched the Grief Seed to her Soul Gem. Instantly, little clouds of black smoke drifted from the Soul Gem, and were instantly sucked up by the Grief Seed. 

"Wow, it cleared right up!" Chris exclaimed. 

"Yep. And the magic I used during that fight has been restored as well." Louise smiled. "Remember when I was talking about rewards? This is it." 

She turned towards an empty door frame and threw the Grief Seed towards it. The sound of it hitting the ground, which Phil expected, did not come. 

Dan stepped through the doorway, holding the Grief Seed in his hand, seeming to have materialized out of thin air. 

"It should be good for one more use." Louise said. "Take it, I'm giving it to you, Dan Howell."

"Him again?" Chris asked, glaring at Dan. 

Dan stayed silent. 

"Or are you not the sharing-with-others type?" Louise asked. 

"It was your kill." Dan said. "So keep the reward for yourself."

He threw the Grief Seed back to her, and she caught it with one hand. "Fine then. If that's the way you want it." 

Dan turned, walking out of the room. 

"Seriously, what's his problem?" Chris exclaimed. "He bugs the hell out of me!" 

"Why can't we be friends with him?" Phil asked. "I mean, he is a magical boy." 

"He has to want to be friends with us in order for us to be friends with him." Louise said, shaking her head slightly in the direction Dan had left. 

 

***

 

Louise sat next to the woman, waiting for her to wake up as the two boys sat a little distance away. 

"What...what the...?" The woman mumbled, her eyes opening. "Where am I-oh my gosh!" 

She shook, and Louise pulled her in for a hug. 

"I jumped, but I don't know why!" The woman cried. 

"It's okay, you're safe now." Louise smiled. "It was just a bad dream." 

"Well, I guess that's it." Chris said. "Case closed, huh?" 

Phil nodded.  _I guess I still don't know what to wish for,_ He thought.

_It's not something I can easily put my finger on. But Louise tries so hard to save people, and does such a great job at it. If someone like me can go around helping people, saving them like she does, then I think that would be truly amazing._

 

 


	3. I'm Not Afraid of Anything Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise between Louise and Dan, and when a Grief Seed appears at the nearby hospital, ready to hatch, Chris stays behind to keep an eye on it while Phil goes to find Louise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ho ho ho get ready for the hurt

Chris stood in the hallway of the hospital, outside of the room he had visited just about every day for the past few years. He sucked in a breath, pushing the door open. 

Connor turned at the sound of the door opening, and his face brightened at the sight of Chris. "Hey, Chris!" 

Chris instantly smiled. "Hey." 

He walked over to the bed, where Connor was sitting upright. The sterile white sheets were the same as they'd always been, and as usual, there was an extra chair next to it for guests. Chris was sure he could sit in that chair for hours on end if given the chance. 

"I brought you something." Chris said, reaching into his schoolbag and pulling out the CD he had gone back for the day before. "Here." 

"Woah, cool!" Connor smiled, taking the CD and reading the name on the cover. "This band's pretty obscure, but they're great! How'd you find this?" 

"Oh, y'know," Chris shrugged. "Luck." 

If by "luck", he meant scouring every shelf of the closest three music stores.

"Well then, you've got some of the best luck in the world." Connor said, taking a portable CD player off of the bedside table, along with a pair of earbuds. "You want to listen?" 

"Oh, uh, yeah, if you don't mind!" Chris said, accepting the other earbud from Connor. 

"I'd love to put it on a speaker system and play it loud, but I'm pretty sure the nurses would kill me." Connor laughed. 

Chris went to put the earbud in his ear, but the cord was too short. 

"Oops. Here." Connor said, leaning close enough so the cord would reach. 

Chris's heartbeat suddenly felt a lot more noticeable. "T-thanks." 

Connor pressed play, and an acoustic guitar started playing, followed by a set of drums, and ten seconds later, it was a full-on rock song. Chris still had no idea how they were able to do that with an acoustic guitar on melody, but they did. He closed his eyes, and imagined the concert he had been to. He had been dragged their by his friend Tom, and he had no interest in going at first. The band had sounded pretentious, but Tom insisted, and it was his birthday, so Chris went. He had stayed seated (along with his mother) until about halfway through the concert. 

_"Hey, you know, when you're at a concert, you should at least try to have fun."_

And that was when he turned to see Connor, all smirks and sarcasm, but at the same time, genuine kindness behind it all. 

That was a year ago, before the car that hadn't seen Connor took out his legs in a millisecond. 

Funny how quickly a millisecond can change everything. 

Chris looked up a Connor to see him looking out of the window, tears dripping down his face. 

_If only I could do something to help..._ Chris thought. 

 

***

 

_"Tiro Finale!"_

Phil shielded his eyes from the bright glow of Louise's gunfire, and as the glow died, he opened his eyes to see the labyrinth fading around them. 

Chris stepped out from behind the bench he had been hiding behind, resting his baseball bat on his shoulder. 

"That was awesome, Louise! Oh man, this is so cool!" 

Louise laughed. "Thanks, but don't forget, this isn't supposed to be all fun and games. This is always very dangerous." 

Her magical girl form disappeared, and Louise was back in her school uniform, her hair back down instead of in two curly ponytails. 

"Wait a minute." Phil said, looking around the area. "Where's the Grief Seed?"

Lion jumped up on Phil's shoulder. "That was a familiar, not a witch or a warlock. Sometimes, parts of a witch break off from the labyrinth, and they become their own entity. But they don't carry Grief Seeds." 

"Huh. Seems a shame to fight them if you don't get anything back. I mean, isn't it just a waste of magic?" Chris pointed out. 

"Well, we can't let familiars just do whatever they please." Louise said. "If a familiar causes enough destruction, they become another witch. We can't let that happen."

"I guess that makes sense." Chris said, shrugging his shoulders. 

"I think it's about time we all head home." Louise said, a smile on her face. 

 

***

 

"So, any ideas on wishes?" Louise asked as the three of them walked through a street towards Chris's house, the closest house out of all three of them. The street was mostly empty except for them. 

"Nope. Haven't got a clue." Chris sighed. "What about you, Phil?"

Phil shook his head. 

Louise laughed. "Well, I'm not surprised. It is pretty tough to think under pressure, you know?"

"Maybe it'll help if you tell us what you wished for, Louise!" Phil suggested. 

Louise stopped, the smile on her face suddenly gone. 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Phil quickly exclaimed, scared he had hurt her somehow. "I didn't mean to pry, I was just curious, and-"

"No, no, it's okay." Louise said, a small smile back on her face when she looked back up. "For me, it was different. Do either of you remember the car wreck from a few years ago? The one that built up so bad that it killed ten people?"

"Oh my god." Chris said, realizing what she was getting at.

Louise nodded. "I was in that wreck. Both my parents died, and I was left to die amongst all of the wreckage. There was no way any paramedics could get to me in time. And then Lion showed up, and that wish was the miracle I needed to survive." 

"Oh. Wow..." Phil said, staring at the ground, slightly embarrassed that he had asked. 

"It's not that I regret my decision. I mean, I think that the life I have now is a much better alternative to being dead. But I do think that since you've been given this chance, you should take as much time as you need. That wasn't an option for me."

"Hey, Louise?" Chris asked. 

"Hmm?"

"Does -- and this is just hypothetical-" He started. "When you make a wish, does it have to be for yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Louise asked. 

"I mean, say that there was someone who was having a much worse time than I was. Could I use my wish to help them? Would that be wrong?" 

"Are you talking about Connor?" Phil spoke up. 

"I said hypothetically, I'm not talking about anyone!" Chris protested, but Phil's smile made it clear what he was thinking. 

"There's no rule that says the wish has to benefit you." Lion said. "In fact, people making wishes to help others has happened plenty of times before."

"Although, there is something to say about that." Louise said. "If you're making the wish for someone else, you have to be absolutely sure it's what they want. Ask yourself why you're doing it. Are you truly doing it to help them? Or, on the other hand, are you doing it so that you'll earn never-ending gratitude?" 

"Louise..." Phil said, a little confused by her sudden serious tone. 

"The motive behind a wish is the most important part of all." Louise continued. "You know?"

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Chris said. "I was just curious."

"I am sorry, but I had to say it now before anything went wrong." Louise said. "If you don't know exactly why you're asking for what you're asking for, you'll most certainly regret it later."

Chris hesitated for a moment, before a smile appeared on his face. "You're right. I guess I was being a little naive there. My bad."

"That's okay. Remember, neither of you need to rush this." Louise said, returning the smile. 

"As far as I'm concerned, the sooner you make your wishes, the better." Lion piped up. 

"Oh, you silly Lion." Louise laughed. "Haven't you heard? Nobody likes a pushy boy!"

 

***

 

"Deciding what to wish for is a lot harder than I thought it would be." 

Phil was lying on his bed, staring up at his bedroom ceiling. The sky was dark outside, and his clock read 1:22 A.M. 

"As much as I'd like to help, I can't." Lion said from the bedside table where he was sat. "Suggesting a wish is also against the rules."

"Would wishing to be a magical person be dumb?" Phil asked. "It's the only wish in my head right now."

Lion tilted his head to the side. "Phil, do you just wish to become powerful?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't care less about being powerful." Phil said, but then thought for a second. "Although, I guess, maybe a little bit. I mean, I'm not very smart, and I don't have any talents. I think I'm one of those people where if I just disappeared, the world wouldn't be impacted too much. But if I could become someone who's as wonderful and cool as Louise is, I think that would be all I need to make me happy."

"If you became a magical boy, you'd be much more powerful than Louise."

"What?" Phil asked, turning his head to look at Lion. 

"It's true." Lion said. "Although, a lot of it depends on the type of wish you make. Let me put it this way: I can't even begin to predict how large your Soul Gem would be. I've never met a person with so much potential before."

"Oh, come on." Phil said, propping himself up on his elbow. "You're joking, right?"

"No. Not in the slightest. I don't know what it is, but I think that you would be one of, if not the most powerful magical person in the entire world if you made the contract. You could probably take out a warlock or a witch with a snap of your fingers."

"Oh." Phil said, turning back to look at the ceiling, having trouble processing the news. 

 

***

 

Louise walked through the courtyard, her Soul Gem in her hand. She stared at it intently, but nothing about its glow changed. She sighed, transforming it back into the charm on her necklace. She could have sworn she had seen some sort of witch activity around here. 

“You do realize what you’re doing, right?”

Louise jumped, the sudden voice startling her, and she turned to see Dan behind her, standing so that he was just barely visible in the shadows. He seemed like some sort of ghost.

How did he always manage to pop up behind her?

“You’re leading innocent bystanders into danger.” Dan said, stepping a little further into the light.

Louise narrowed her eyes. “They were chosen by Lion. They aren’t innocent bystanders anymore.”

Dan’s expression didn’t change. “You’re leading them so that they’ll want to be magical boys.”

“And you don’t like that?” Louise said, and began to mess with the charm around her neck.

The message, though subtle, was clear. _I’m not afraid to fight you if I have to._

Dan eyed the charm. “No. I don’t. Particularly in Phil’s case.”

Louise smirked. “I see. So you’ve noticed it as well? That his potential levels are through the roof?”

“He will _not_ make the contract.” Dan said, his fists clenching. "He will _not_ become like us."

“Afraid that a magical boy stronger than you will get in your way?” Louise asked, giving him a smile that was a little too sweet to be genuine. “Because, I hate to tell you, you’d be acting like a childish bully if that was the case.”

Ten long seconds of silence ensued.

“I don’t want to fight you, but-“ Dan began.

“Then you should take great care never to see me again.” Louise said, her tone still kind despite the words she was speaking. “It’s none of your business whether or not Phil and Chris make their contracts. You may not want to fight me, and I don’t wish to fight you, but if necessary, I will not hesitate to in the future.”

Louise turned, and began to walk away, but stopped.

He turned towards Dan. “Oh, and I’ll have you know, Phil seems set on making the contract. Good luck changing his mind.”

And with that, Louise turned and walked away, and Dan was left alone in the darkened courtyard.

 

***

 

The hospital elevator door opened with a _ding_ , and Chris stepped back out into the lobby, where Phil was waiting on one of the benches. 

"Hey. Sorry for the wait." Chris said, waving a little. 

"Something the matter?" Phil asked, looking slightly concerned. 

"Apparently, he doesn't want visitors today. Come on, let's go." Chris said, and the two of them walked outside, starting down the sidewalk next to the hospital that lead back to Chris's house. 

"And I came all this way, too. How rude." Chris said, walking slightly ahead of Phil. 

Phil turned his head, and his eye caught on something. 

"Uh, Chris?" 

"Hm?" 

"Over there, can you see that?" 

Chris walked over to where Phil was stood, and could see something embedded into the wall of the hospital. It glowed in pulses of light. 

"It's a Grief Seed!" Lion exclaimed. "It's about to hatch!"

"Oh no, what's it doing here?" Phil exclaimed. 

"A labyrinth is about to open up, we have to go!" Lion said. 

"You mean one of those mazes?" Chris asked. "Phil, do you have Louise's number?"

Phil shook his head, and Chris's heart sank. 

"What do we do?" He said to himself, and after a few seconds of thinking, he looked back up. "I've got it. You go find Louise and bring her back here. I'll stay here, and keep an eye on it."

"Chris, you can't!" Phil exclaimed. 

"Phil's right. It's too dangerous. We still have time before the Grief Seed hatches, but once the labyrinth is formed, you won't be able to leave. Louise might not be back in time to save you." 

"But if we run, it's just going to run rampant, and then we'll lose it!" Chris said. "I can't let that happen. Especially not here." 

"Chris..." Phil said, knowing exactly who he was talking about. 

Lion jumped down from where he had been sitting on Phil's shoulder. 

"Phil, you go get Louise. I'll stay here with Chris. That way, if the labyrinth opens up, Louise can use telepathy to track my position. If we're not here, I can guid her down the shortest route to us." 

Chris smiled, feeling a little braver about the situation. "Thanks, Lion."

"Okay. I'll go get Louise as fast as I can!" Phil exclaimed, and he ran down the path, on his way to Louise's house. 

Chris turned to stare at the Grief Seed, and right as he did, it suddenly burst into a bright light. Chris covered his eyes, and when the glow died, he was standing in a different place entirely. A labyrinth that had random assortments of typical hospital supplies in muted and dark colors was flashing around him. 

Lion jumped onto his shoulder. "The Grief Seed still hasn't hatched. We should go and find it." 

"Okay." Chris said, and began to walk through the labyrinth's pathways. 

"So. Are you scared?" Lion asked. 

"Well, yeah, a little." Chris admitted, only hearing his footsteps echo. 

"All you'd have to do is make a wish." Lion said. "I could turn you into a magical boy here and now."

Chris spotted the Grief Seed a few feet away. It was surrounded by a cage, and a large red sign above it read "OPERATION IN PROGRESS".

"Well if things get bad enough, I might just ask you to do that." Chris said. "But this wish thing is important to me. I don't want to make my decision in a rush if I can help it."

 

***

 

Louise ran up to the wall of the hospital, Phil right on her heels. 

"This is it?" Louise asked, and Phil nodded. 

Louise held the charm of her necklace out, and what looked like a portal opened up on the wall. A witch's symbol was glowing across it, as if it were a hologram. 

Louise closed her eyes, and Phil could hear her voice inside his head as she spoke in telepathy. 

" _What's happening, Lion?_ "

" _It's alright. The Grief Seed hasn't hatched yet_." Lion responded. 

" _Chris, are you okay?_ " Phil asked, having had worried about him since the second he had left. 

" _Heck yeah. I'm so bored I'm about to fall asleep._ " Chris said, and Phil instantly relaxed. Chris was okay. Thank god. 

_"I wouldn't advise using large amounts of magic."_ Lion said. _"You might disturb the Seed. You don't need to come quickly, just do it as quietly as possible."_

_"Got it."_ Louise replied, turned to look at Phil, and gestured toward the portal.

"Shall we?"

 

***

 

"Thank god we made it." Phil remarked as he walked through the labyrinth behind Louise. 

"I'm a little angry, though." Louise said. "Chris took a huge risk. Although, here, I guess it paid off. Now, we don't have to worry about the witch getting-"

She looked behind her, intending to look at Phil, but her eyes locked onto something else. Phil turned to see whatever she was looking at, and saw a very familiar person in a red cape approaching. 

Dan.

“I thought I told you yesterday.” Louise said, shaking her head slightly. “You’re very stubborn, aren’t you?”

“I’m going to be the one to kill this witch.” Dan said. “The two of you should leave immediately.”

“Let me think about it.” Louise said, tapping a finger on her chin. “No.”

“It’s not safe in here for regular humans.” Dan said. “And Phil is a regular human.”

Phil tensed at Dan mentioning him. It always felt weird. Like Dan knew more about Phil than he was letting on.

But that was impossible. He’d only just moved to the city a few days ago.

“Of course it’s not safe. That’s why I’m here.” Louise said. “I’m here to find Chris and kill this witch. And I can do it just fine on my own.”

If he wondered why Chris was in the labyrinth, it didn’t show on Dan’s face. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Enlighten me, then.”

Dan ignored the question. “I’ll say it one more time. Get Phil out of here. I can guarantee Chris’s safety.”

“Yeah, see, about that…” Louise said, and grasped onto her charm. Pink ribbons shot up from the ground, and targeted Dan instantly, securing him tightly and lifting him from the ground. A lock appeared on the front of him, securing the ribbons even further. 

Louise smirked. “I don’t really think I can trust you.”

“Idiot!” Dan exclaimed.

“Louise, Lion said you shouldn’t-“ Phil began.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a little magic. The witch won’t even notice.” Louise cut him off, and turned back to Dan. “That being said, I’m not going to hurt you just yet. You can wait here so you don’t try anything stupid to stop me.”

“This witch is not like the others!” Dan said. “You’re only going to get yourself killed!”

“Behave yourself and I’ll consider letting you go when I’m through here.” Louise said, and turned to Phil. “Let’s go.”

“O-okay.” Phil said, nervously glancing at Dan, but followed after Louise.

“Wai-“ Dan attempted to break out of the ribbons, but they held him back. Louise hadn’t lied about them getting tighter.

 

***

 

Phil was starting to feel on edge. They had walked through what felt like countless doors, and there was still no sign of Chris or Lion. As Louise pushed yet another door open, he spoke up. 

“Louise?”

“What is it?” Louise asked, continuing on ahead without looking at Phil.

“I’ve been thinking about this whole wish thing, and…”

“Have you decided on one yet?” Louise asked.

“Yeah.” Phil answered. “But I think it’s kind of a naïve wish, it might make you mad.”

“Let’s see, then. What’s the wish?” Louise said, opening up a door and heading into another hallway.

“Well, I’ve never been all that great in school, and I don’t really have anything that I’m really good at, and to be honest, I think I’ll just continue on like this. Being no use and always having to bother people for some help. It makes me sick.”

Louise stayed silent, but continued travelling through the labyrinth.

“And then I found out about all this. About you and the other magical people. And you showed me what it’s like to fight to save people. And then you told me I could do it too, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. That’s why I think that just becoming a magical boy, one of you, would really be my wish. I want to help people.”

“You do know that it’s not all fun and games, right?” Louise finally spoke. “You’re talking about risking your life every day. And you won’t have time for any normal teenage stuff, like dates or hanging out with friends or anything like that. You’re going to get hurt a lot, too, even if you do make it through every battle.”

“I know.” Phil said. “But I just want to do this.”

Louise stopped. “Why would you want this after watching me? I’m not a good person to look up to. I just push myself and pretend to be fine. When I’m hurt, or scared, there’s no one for me to go to. I just have to deal with it all on my own.”

“Maybe, but Chris and I, we can both make the contract, and then you won’t be alone. We’ll be a team!”

Louise turned to look at Phil, a surprised expression on her face. “You…you aren’t joking? Wouldn’t you rather go to some other town and protect the people there?”

“Hey, our whole lives are here. Why would we want to go somewhere else?”

“You want to fight beside me?” Louise asked again, as if she couldn’t really believe it.

“Yeah.” Phil smiled. “That is, if I’m good enough…”

“Are you serious? Of course you’ll be good enough!” Louise grinned. “Although, it’s not every day that you get a magic wish.”

“Yeah. I guess it is pretty crazy.” Phil said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Just think of something you’d really like, if you just want to become a magical boy.” Louise said. “Then you get your true wish, and something else, like, oh, I don’t know, a car, or a lifetime supply of chocolate-chip cookies, or something like that!”

“I dunno…” Phil mumbled, looking at the ground.

“Hey, then how about this? After I take down this witch, if you still can’t decide, you can wish for, um, a giant feast with a huge cake or something!”

“A cake? I can’t become a magical boy just for a cake!” Phil exclaimed.

“Then decide on a wish you really want!” Louise smiled, and starting walking through the hall again.

“ _Louise!”_

Louise stopped, hearing Lion speak.

_“The Grief Seed! It’s moving! It’s going to hatch-you have to get here, quick!”_

“Okay, I’ve got it. I’ll finish it off fast.” Louise said, and the pink charm around her neck changed into her soul gem, which glowed brightly, causing Phil to shield his eyes.

When the glow died, Phil looked to see Louise, in her magical girl form, grinning.

“Well, that’s better, isn’t it?” She smiled, and jumped off of the bridge, landing on the ground below. A shield barrier appeared around Phil, and he ran to the edge of it, watching her fight. 

Six familiar shotguns appeared by her side as the witch's minions began to take form. They looked like black donuts with legs, and they weren't very threatening-looking. 

_"Witches seem to have the weirdest looking minions."_ Phil thought to himself, as Louise began gunning them down, one by one. 

She twirled her guns around as she fired them, the minions not being able to even get within a few feet of her. Pink blasts of light burst through the air, lighting up the slightly grim atmosphere, and Louise had the biggest smile on her face. 

_"I've never felt this happy during battle before._ " Louise thought to herself as she fired another shotgun, taking out the closest minion she saw. _"I'm afraid of anything anymore."_

She jumped back up to the bridge as the shield around Phil disappeared. "Let's go!" 

_"That's because...I'm not alone anymore."_ Louise thought, as Phil followed her through the final door. 

A loud crash startled both of them as they entered the room, but Louise spotted Chris, who was close to the door, hiding behind what looked like a giant donut. 

"This witch sure does like sweets." Phil said, as they both ran over, gaining Chris's attention. 

"Sorry I'm late." Louise smiled, crouching down behind the donut next to Chris. 

"Thank God you made it." Chris grinned. 

"Be careful." Lion warned from where he was sitting on top of the donut. "It's coming." 

The three of them watched as the glowing Grief Seed a few feet away finally exploded, hatching into what looked like a small doll with muted white hair. It landed on a tall chair in the center of the room, and just sat there, unmoving. 

Suddenly, the chair toppled over, and Phil looked to see Louise at the base, slamming her gun into the legs of the chair, taking it out. 

"Sorry to spoil your party, but I'm here to finish you off quickly!" She exclaimed, hitting the witch with her gun like the witch was nothing but a baseball. "Gotcha!"

The witch flew across the room from the force of the hit, slamming into the wall. Bright pink bullets shot right through the witch's body, each hitting it's mark. The witch fell to the ground, completely limp. 

Louise calmly walked over to it, pressing the barrel of her shotgun into its head, and fired. She stepped a few feet away, and ribbons lifted the witch up into the air. 

"Yeah, you did it!" Chris cheered, pumping his fist in the air and standing up, no longer worried about having to hide. 

Louise smiled, and turned a single shotgun towards the witch. With a bright pink glow, the gun transformed into something that was much more akin to a cannon, and it stayed planted on the ground as it aimed at the witch, ready to fire. 

" _Tiro Finale!_ " Louise exclaimed, firing the cannon with a boom that Phil had already gotten used to over the past few days. 

Ribbons shot from the gun, wrapping around the witch and squeezing it to death. 

But then, something changed. 

As the ribbons got tighter around the witch, it opened its mouth, and what appeared to be a gigantic snake sprouted from it. It's mouth was a menacing grin full of spiky teeth. It zoomed towards Louise, who stood staring at it, frozen in place, her eyes wide. 

"Louise!" Chris screamed. 

 

***

 

Dan almost landed flat on his face when the lock on the front of him snapped clean in two, and he was dropped back to the ground. 

_"What?"_ He thought to himself. 

One of the ribbons fell next to him, and he picked it up, staring at it to see what was wrong. 

The ribbon disintegrated in his hands, the once bright pink, satiny thing turning into nothingness right before his eyes. 

His eyes went wide as he realized what had happened. 

_"No..."_

 

***

 

Phil had never witnessed anything more brutal in his life, and yet, he found himself unable to look away as the witch hacked away at Louise. 

Chris was staring, too, and he reached out to grab Phil's hand, not even thinking about what he was doing. Phil accepted his hand, pulling him closer as they both watched their friend become torn to shreds, powerless to do anything. They didn't speak, but both of their hearts were going a mile a minute, fear completely over taking them. 

"Both of you! Make a contract with me! Hurry!" Lion exclaimed. 

They didn't respond as the witch finished with Louise, and looked up at the both of them, its grin even more menacing than before. 

"Wish for something! Anything!" Lion exclaimed. "Phil! Chris!" 

"That won't be necessary." 

Both Chris and Phil were suddenly snapped out of their fear when the voice sounded across the room, and they stared as Dan jumped in out of nowhere, landing on one of the tall platforms in the room. 

"This one's mine." Dan said, not turning back to look at either of them. 

The witch lunged forward, chomping down on the platform where Dan had been standing, but as Dan disappeared from sight, he reappeared another few feet in front of the witch. He turned back to look at it, and it lunged forward again, and Dan disappeared. 

But then he reappeared again, a few platforms ahead. 

The witch looked angry, and started lunging for him quicker and quicker, but Dan kept reappearing a few feet away. It seemed as though he could keep it up all day. 

Finally, the witch chomped down on him, and Dan didn't reappear. 

The witch stopped looking around for Dan, and it seemed to be pleased, until a bomb suddenly went off. 

Steam blew from the witch's mouth, and it looked almost confused as it straightened up again, right before another bomb went off. 

Dan suddenly reappeared, landing on another platform, and did nothing but stare at the witch as multiple explosions went off, destroying the witch bit by bit before it finally blew up for good, disappearing forever. 

Dan turned, jumping off of the platform and landing on the ground. He walked back towards Chris and Phil as his magical boy form disappeared, being replaced with a regular school uniform. Chris flinched as he came near. 

"A second later and that thing would have certainly killed you." Dan said, his expression blank. "Never forget this. This is what it really means to be a magical person." 

Tears welled in the corners of Chris's eyes as the labyrinth faded around them, bringing them back to the outside of the hospital. 

Dan turned, walking to where a Grief Seed, shiny and safe, had landed on the ground. Lion sat beside it, not saying a word, but stared at Dan intently. 

Dan picked up the Grief Seed, slipping it into his pocket. 

"Give it back." 

Dan turned to see Chris standing up, staring at him with tears in his eyes. His fists were clenched. 

"Give it back!" Chris exclaimed, his voice cracking as the tears started to roll down his cheeks. "It's hers! It belongs to Louise! Give it back!" 

Dan's expression didn't change as he started to walk past Chris and Phil, who was crouched on his hands and knees, staring at the ground with wide eyes. 

"You can't have it!" Chris yelled, starting to sound almost hysterical. "It belongs to her!"

"You're right." Dan finally said. "But this belongs to magical people. Therefore, neither of you has any right to touch it." 

With that, he walked away. 

Chris broke down into sobs, falling to his knees as tears streamed down his cheeks, and if anyone had been around, you could've heard his cries from a block away. 

Phil continued to stare at the ground, his entire body shaking, as tears began to drip one by one onto the pavement. 

One drop. 

Two drop. 

Three drop. 

_Why?_

 


	4. Miracles and Magic Are Real, I Swear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After witnessing Louise's death, neither Chris or Phil think they know what they want anymore. However, a broken boy and a witch are one persuasive combination.

The sound of rushed footsteps echoed through the hall of the hospital as Chris ran to Connor's room. The sun was beginning to set outside, and he didn't have much time before he'd have to be back home, but he still wanted to stop by. 

He made it to the door to Connor's room, and pushed open the door. 

"Hey, it's me-"

Chris stopped. 

Connor's room was completely empty. 

Where was he? Did he get worse? Did something happen? 

"Oh, are you looking for Connor?" 

Chris jumped when he heard the nurse's voice. He'd been so caught up in his own head that he hadn't even heard her walk up behind him. He turned to her, nodding. 

"I'm sorry." She smiled. "His examination was moved up. He's in physical therapy now." 

"Oh." Chris said, looking towards the floor. "Okay."

"Would you like me to tell him you were here?" The nurse asked, her voice sounding sympathetic.

"No, that's okay. Thank you." Chris said, and turned away, walking back towards the elevator at the end of the hall.

A few steps down the hall, he heard a second nurse begin speaking to the first. 

"He comes to see him a lot, doesn't he?" 

"It's good he does. That Connor boy is a difficult case."

Chris clenched his teeth, pressing the button on the elevator. 

He never liked hearing people talk about him or his friends when they thought he couldn't hear. 

 

***

 

Chris stood in the elevator alone as it descended, staring at his feet. 

" _Why did it have to be Connor_?" He thought to himself. " _I can jump and dance around like an idiot at concerts all I want, but it's no fun if he's not there. Why couldn't it have been me, and not Connor_?" 

He sighed, staring through the glass pane of the elevator door. 

" _If I used my wish to heal him, what would he think about it? Would he just say 'thanks'? Just 'thanks', and that's it? Or am I hoping for something more to happen?"_

He clenched his fists. " _What am I thinking?_ "

"I'm horrible..." He muttered aloud. 

" _Now that I think about it, I really was stupid._ " He thought. " _Just a few days ago, I had no idea what it meant to pray for a miracle._ "

He sucked in a breath, and blinked back tears. 

" _Or the price of one_."

 

***

 

"Hurry up, boys, you're going to be late for school!" 

"Got it, Mum!" Martyn yelled in response, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he started to brush his teeth. 

Phil stood there, staring at the pink bar of soap on the bathroom counter, his expression blank. 

It was the same color as Louise's hair. 

Martyn nudged Phil, snapping Phil out of his thoughts. 

"Hey, Mum's right, we're going to be late if we don't move, come on." He smiled, and started humming a song. 

"Oh. Right." Phil said, and his moves were almost robotic as he squeezed some toothpaste onto his toothbrush. 

He stopped, the memories with Louise all flooding back, and tears started welling in his eyes. 

Martyn stopped humming when he glanced over at Phil. His expression instantly changed to concern. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Martyn said. "You okay?"

"Yes." Phil said, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. "Look at me. I'm okay. I'm alive." 

Martyn turned Phil to face him. "Hey, you're freaking me out. Did something happen?" 

Phil didn't reply as he suddenly realized he needed to pull it together in front of everyone else. He wiped his tears from his face, blinked away the fresh ones, and slung his backpack over his shoulder, leaving the bathroom. 

 

***

 

"So, I was talking to Troye, right-" 

Chris, Phil, and Tyler were walking together towards the school. Chris talked as loudly and as happily as he normally did, and Tyler listened with a grin on his face. Phil lagged behind slightly, staring at the ground. If Tyler had noticed, he wasn't saying anything about it. 

Lion stayed right on Phil's heels, and there was a part of Phil that wanted to turn around and scream at Lion to _go away. Go away and never come back, don't you care that she's dead, don't you care that you watched her die?_

But he didn't. It wasn't Lion's fault she died, and Phil knew it. 

"And he keeps saying something about this new song he's working on, and of course, I'm barely listening, 'cause his stuff's boring to me."

" _Chris, can we talk?_ " Phil thought, hoping that Chris would reply. 

As Tyler started interjecting to defend Troye's music, Chris answered. 

" _Sorry. Not now. We'll talk later._ "

 

***

 

At lunchtime, Tyler broke away to sit with a few of his other friends, and Chris a Phil went to the roof to find it thankfully empty. They both sat down on one of the benches, and sat silently for a few minutes as Lion watched. 

Finally, Phil spoke. 

"It feels like we're in a different country, doesn't it?" He said. "Even though everything's the same, school, my brother, Tyler...it feels like everything's changed."

"No one knows." Chris said. "That's why it feels like that. No one knows about warlocks and witches, about magical people and Louise. We're the only ones who know. Everyone else is living in another universe."

"Chris..."

"Everything changed a long time ago, didn't it?" Chris said, staring at the ground. "We were just too caught up to realize it."

Chris turned towards Phil. "So after all of this, after everything that's been happening, everything we've seen...do you still want to be a magical person?"

There was a moment of silence, and Phil looked away, staring at his feet. 

"Yeah. I feel the same." Chris said, and put his hand on Phil's shoulder. "It's alright, I understand."

"I know it's unfair." Phil said, tears beginning to drip down his face. "I know it's selfish to back out now, after everything I promised her, but...I can't. I just can't...just thinking about the way she died..."

He choked back a sob. "It gets so hard to even breathe. I'm scared, I don't want that."

"Louise was the best person." Chris said. "She cared about us, I know it. But in order to truly show us what it takes, the kind of courage we need, she had to..." 

He couldn't finish his sentence, blinking back tears of his own. It was bad logic, and it did nothing to make either of them feel better, and he knew it. But he needed some kind of a good reason she was gone, and that was the best he could come up with. 

Chris looked up at Lion. "Hey, Lion. What's going to happen to the city now? Now that Louise is gone, is there someone who's going to protect everyone?"

"This city has been Louise's territory for a long time now." Lion replied. "But once other magical people know she's gone, they'll come. I'm sure someone will arrive soon to pick up on the hunt."

"But all they're going to care about is finding Grief Seeds." Chris said. "Just like that damn transfer student."

"It's true, most magical people do fight with that mindset." Lion said. "But it's normal. It's normal to want to be paid for your work. Louise was a rare breed of magical person."

"But then-" Chris began. 

"You don't have the right to judge their actions, though." Lion interrupted. "Only other magical people have that right. They share the same destiny."

Lion sighed. "I know what you're thinking. It's a shame, but I can't force you, can I? Goodbye, then. I need to find people who have a greater need to make the contract."

Phil looked up. "I'm sorry, Lion."

"No, I apologize for getting the two of you mixed up in all of this." Lion said. "We weren't together very long, but it was fun while it lasted. Thank you, Phil."

With those words, he walked away, leaving the two boys alone on the rooftop. 

Phil watched as he left. 

" _I'm sorry_."

 

***

 

Phil stood, ringing the doorbell to Louise's apartment even though he knew there would be no answer. After ringing it for a few times, he turned the doorknob to find it unlocked, and he stepped inside. 

There were still dishes left in the sink. A cup of unfinished tea sat on the coffee table, the teapot beside it. It looked like Louise was about to come walking through her bedroom door and smile, apologizing for the mess. _I've been busy lately_ , she'd say. _Witch hunting doesn't leave much time for chores._

But that didn't happen, no matter how much Phil wished it would. 

Phil walked to the coffee table, and pulled his notebook out of his bag, tearing out the page where he had doodled himself as magical boy. He set it on the coffee table, and stared at it. 

_"You should have the only part of my promise I kept_." Phil thought, and felt tears well in his eyes for the third time that day. He let them spill over, knowing that he was alone. Truly, utterly alone.

"I'm sorry." He said aloud. "For being so weak, I'm sorry..."

Phil sat down on her couch, hugging his knees to his chest, and buried his face in his arms. He let his tears roll down his face, and let himself sob.

 

***

 

Phil left the apartment building, staring at his shoes. 

"Phil."

Phil jumped, looking up to see Dan standing in front of him. 

"Dan!" Phil exclaimed, and hurriedly wiped the tears from his eyes. "I wasn't crying, I was just-"

"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened." Dan interrupted, walking towards him. "It couldn't be helped. No one can blame you or criticize you for anything. I won't allow it." 

"Dan..." Phil said, unsure how to respond. 

"So then," Dan continued. "Are you going to listen to my warning?"

Phil nodded. 

 

***

 

They walked together back towards their homes. It turned out that Phil's house was a little more than a block away from Dan's. They were both silent for most of it, until finally, Phil spoke up. 

“I keep thinking, that maybe if I had listened to you-“

“It wouldn’t have changed her fate.” Dan cut in. “Nothing would have. But I was able to change yours. I’m glad for that.”

“Y’know, Dan,” Phil said. “I get the feeling you’re a veteran at all this, too. Like Louise, but different, in a way.”

Dan nodded. “I’ve been at it for a while, yeah.”

“And that means, you’ve seen a lot of people die horribly.”

“Yes. I have.”

“How…” Phil said, swallowing the lump in his throat. “How many?”

There was a long ten seconds of silence.

“I gave up on counting them a long time ago.” Dan finally answered.

Phil felt horrible for him. Phil was so torn up over one person dying. He wondered how it felt to have seen so many people die that you grow numb to it.

“And her apartment,” Phil continued. “Is it just going to stay like that?”

“Most likely, yes. Until someone notices that the rent’s not coming in. It will be a long time before she’s even reported missing. She didn’t really have any family.” Dan said.

“So, no one will even notice that she’s gone?” Phil asked.

“When you die in a labyrinth,” Dan explained, “Your body stays there. It disappears with the labyrinth. Here, in this world, she will be known as a missing person forever. It’s the fate every magical person can look forward to.”

Phil stopped walking, trying to take it in. No one knowing that Louise was dead. Brushing her aside as a missing person for all eternity.

“That’s…awful.” Phil said, feeling tears start to well in his eyes. “She was all alone, but she fought so hard to protect everyone. And now, no one will even notice that she’s gone? It’s horrible.”

“It’s part of the deal.” Dan said. “When we make contracts, we become bound to our wishes. Magical people are not protectors. We fight only to keep our wishes alive, not to help people. If that means being forgotten, then I guess that’s just how it is.”

“I’ll remember her.” Phil said, standing up straighter. “I’ll never forget her, ever. I promise.”

Dan didn’t respond for a while.

“Then Louise is a lucky one. She would be happy to hear that.” He finally said. “At least one magical person has someone who cares about them.”

“I won’t forget you, either!” Phil exclaimed. “I won’t forget about you, Dan, and how you saved us yesterday! I’ll never forget! I swear! I'm always going to remember you!”

Dan’s fists suddenly clenched at his sides.

“You’re too kind.” Dan said.

“What?”

“You’re too kind.” Dan repeated. “If you’re never going to forget something, never forget this. Kindness can sometimes lead to even greater tragedy.”

And with those words, Dan turned and walked away, leaving Phil alone on the street.

 

***

 

"What're you listening to?" 

Chris sat by Connor's bed, looking at him stare out of the window. Connor had a set of earbuds plugged in to a CD player, but he left one earbud out so he could still hear Chris. 

"The CD you gave me the other day." Connor answered, his voice monotone. 

"Oh, cool." Chris smiled. "Y'know, people don't really tend to peg me for the indie music type. It really surprises some people when I can name some of the more obscure bands and stuff. It's great to watch their faces." 

Connor didn't reply, and the silence was too awkward, so Chris continued. 

"The only reason I gave any of it a chance was because of you." Chris said. "I would have never really given any of those bands a chance if it wasn't for you."

"Hey, Chris?" Connor asked. 

"Hm?"

"Why do you come here so often?" 

Chris hesitated, confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you come here so often?" Connor repeated. 

"Because I like seeing you." Chris said. "Because we're friends."

"Why do you still even want to be my friend?" Connor asked. "Nobody else does. Everyone else has it figured out by now - I'm useless. I can't dance, I can't jump around, I can't run, I can't even walk from place to place. I'm useless as hell, and I know you know it."

Connor turned to look at Chris. "Just stop coming here just because you pity me." 

"I don't...I never..." Chris started, but couldn't finish the sentence. Did he pity Connor? 

Yes. 

And he suddenly hated himself for it. 

"Look, I never saw you as useless." Chris said. "I'm sure that they can fix this, just give it some more time, you can't give up!"

"But they already told me to give up!" Connor said. "They say I'm never going to walk again. The doctor came in a few days ago and told me himself. He said that today's medicine just can't help anymore."

Without warning, Connor shoved the CD player off of his lap as hard as he could, and it shattered on the floor. Chris jumped, and Connor pressed a hand to his face, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"I can't...I don't want to listen to it anymore." He said. "It's just a reminder. I'm going to be paralyzed for the rest of my damn life, unless miracles and magic suddenly become real."

"They already are!" Chris blurted, and Connor looked up at Chris, startled. 

"Miracles...magic...it's real, it's all real! I swear!" Chris said, and in that moment, he looked up to see Lion sitting on the windowsill. 

Waiting.

 

***

 

Phil walked through the city, headed towards his house. The sky was turning dark, but he knew his parents wouldn't worry. At least, they wouldn't worry until it was at least ten. Phil normally spent a lot of time hanging out with Chris and Tyler in the city, they wouldn't be concerned just yet. 

" _When I was talking with Dan,_ " Phil thought to himself. " _It almost seemed like we could be friends. I wonder why he and Louise didn't get along..._ "

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. 

_"Is that Tyler?"_

Phil ran towards Tyler, waving his hand. 

"Hey, Tyler!" He called. "I thought you said you had a lot of homework to do today, why are you-" 

Phil froze when he saw it. 

There was a strange sort of mark on the outside of Tyler's hand, something that looked like a temporary tattoo. 

_"It's like that mark the woman had on her neck..._ " Phil thought, and fear suddenly took a hold of him. He ran as fast as he could, to the point where he was right in front of him. Phil grabbed Tyler's shoulder, turning Tyler to face him. 

"Hey, Tyler? What's going on, can you hear me?" 

"Oh. Hello Phil, how are you?" Tyler said, but his voice sounded...different. Too calm. Way too calm.

"What happened to you?" Phil asked. "Are you okay? Do you know where you are, where you're going?" 

"Where am I going?" Tyler repeated, a smile on his face. "Phil, I'm going somewhere _awesome_." 

"What?" 

"I know, you should come with!" Tyler said, his eyes shining like it was the best idea he'd ever had in his life. "Yeah, you should come too! You'll see, it's going to be so awesome, come on!" 

Tyler kept walking, and Phil had no choice but to follow. 

"This can't be happening." Phil thought to himself. "Tyler..."

 

***

 

Phil followed Tyler into a more abandoned part of the city, towards a small factory that seemed to be hidden away amongst the taller buildings that surrounded it. 

Various different people were walking towards it as well, and it took Phil about thirty seconds to realize that they all had the same mark that Tyler had on their hands. 

"Oh no." Phil thought. "I have to call Dan...but I can't, I have no way to contact him, I don't have his number. What do I do?"

They all entered the factory, and Phil could see a man sitting on a crate in the middle of the building. The man was muttering to himself, and Phil could just barely make out what he was saying. 

"I'm useless, it's true." The man said. "I couldn't even keep this small factory open long enough to make any money. I'm a failure. There's no room for a failure like me in this world." 

"So that's where the witch is coming from." Phil realized. What was he supposed to do? Tell the man nice things until he believed them? Would that make the witch go away? 

Two women in the crowd stepped forward, one carrying a bucket, and the other, two bottles of some kind of cleaner that Phil's mother kept in the laundry room. The woman with the bucket set it down, and the other woman began pouring the cleaner into the bucket. 

"Okay. So what, are we going to clean the factory, or something?" Phil thought. "That's not too bad."

And that was when the other shoe dropped. 

A man started walking forward, and Phil realized what he was carrying in horror. 

Bleach. 

He remembered something his mother had told both him and his brother, the day she started buying bleach in a bottle that looked extremely similar to the one she kept the cleaner in. Practically the only difference had been the label. 

_"Now, pay attention, boys, this is extremely important._ " She had said. _"These bottles look the same, but they are not the same thing. Never mix them together, understand? It's extremely dangerous, and we could all get really sick and die if you do. Make sure that the labels say the exact same thing before mixing an almost empty bottle with a new one, okay?"_

Phil dropped his schoolbag that he had been carrying. 

"No, stop!" He yelled, running towards the man. "Don't-!"

Tyler suddenly grabbed a hold of Phil's wrist, pulling him back. 

"This is a sacred ceremony, you can't just interrupt like that." Tyler said. 

"But those chemicals are really dangerous!" Phil exclaimed. "If you mix them together, everyone here could die!" 

"Exactly!" Tyler smiled. "And we're all going to go explore a mysterious and exciting new world, together! We're finally going to get rid of these earthly bodies that hold us back! Don't worry, Phil. In a little while, you'll understand, too." 

The people around them had stopped whatever they had been doing, and began to give a round of applause. 

Phil stood in horror, rooted to the spot, before his senses finally took over again. 

"Let go of me!" He yelled, yanking his wrist out of Tyler's grasp. 

Before any of the people could do anything, Phil ran forward, grabbing the bucket. He spotted a window at the other side of the factory, and did the first thing he could think of. He ran towards the window as fast as he could, and threw the bucket with all of his strength. 

The bucket crashed through the glass of the window, and the contents spilled harmlessly into the dirt outside. 

Phil sighed in relief. Everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay-

That's when he turned around. 

The people in the crowd all turned as one, and glared at him. 

_"Oh no."_

They all started towards him at once, and Phil immediately began to panic. He pulled at the windowsill, hoping to open the window to escape, but it didn't budge. He frantically looked around the factory for another way out- _there_. 

A door to what he assumed was some sort of closet was just to his right. 

He ran for it, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him, just as the crowd of people got to it. Their fists slammed against the door, and Phil locked it shut, holding them back. 

He stepped backwards, his breathing heavy. 

"What do I do?" He said aloud. "What should I-"

He turned, and saw what appeared to be some sort of glowing blue portal in the corner of the room, and it was growing. 

_"Labyrinth."_ Phil thought, and screamed, backing away from it. 

His scream only seemed to encourage the Labyrinth and it started to grow even faster, and in no time, the entire room was bathed in a glowing blue light. 

"No!" Phil yelled, desperately trying to get away, but there was nowhere to run to. "Help! Someone, please, help me! HELP ME!"

With his last scream, he felt himself being sucked into the labyrinth, and his vision went black. 

 

***

 

When he opened his eyes again, he was floating upside down, unable to move. 

There was a blue world all around him, and little toy trains spun around and around on tracks that circled around him. There were television screens everywhere, and each one had two tiny angels that lifted the screen, flying it around to where Phil could see everyone. 

And every single one showed Louise. 

A few were Louise's smile after Phil had told her he would become a magical person with her. Countless others showed her death, playing over and over again. And there was one that Phil didn't recognize - Louise crying, curled in a ball on her couch, all alone. 

Try as he might, Phil couldn't close his eyes. 

_"I wonder if this is my punishment._ " He thought. " _For being a coward, and a liar. I guess this...I guess it's what I deserve."_

Suddenly, the angels dropped their screens, and they all reached for Phil, grabbing at his legs and his arms. 

Phil could only scream, unable to even try and struggle, as they began to pull. It felt like his arms and legs were about to be ripped out of their sockets in seconds. 

_"This can't be where it ends."_ Phil thought to himself. " _It can't be!"_

Suddenly, four flashes of bright yellow light shot past, and the angels practically disintegrated. 

Phil gasped for breath as his arms and legs were suddenly relieved from the pain, and he looked around, finally able to move again. 

A figure floated a little lower than he did, but this person seemed to have better control over where they were. 

Phil felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when he realized something. 

He knew that person. 

"Chris?" He called. 

Chris only turned his head slightly, and gave a tiny smirk, and he turned back to stare at the witch that Phil hadn't been able to see. 

The witch looked like a giant television set with wings, and two giant angels sat on top, but they seemed to be stuck there. 

The screen of the television suddenly blared to life, and seven tiny angels appeared around Chris, who immediately sprung into action, slicing them down as fast as he could with the bright yellow sword he was carrying. 

He suddenly zipped out of sight, and he looked like nothing more than a glowing yellow streak in the sky of the labyrinth as he zoomed around to the back of the witch, and slammed the butt-end of the sword into the witch's back. The witch was caught off guard, and immediately began falling to the bottom, but it was definitely still alive. 

Chris flipped his sword back around, and zoomed after the witch. 

"This is the end for you!" Chris screamed, and at the last second, stabbed the witch in the back. The momentum of his speed combined with the witch falling sent it rocketing to the bottom of the labyrinth, where it crashed into the ground, dead. Some sort of black liquid began spewing out of the witch, and Chris was quick to dodge it as the labyrinth began falling apart. A Grief Seed clattered to the floor, and Chris was quick to grab it. As the real world came back into focus, Phil realized that instead of floating, he was only stood on a few boxes, and he carefully climbed back down.

Neither of them noticed Dan standing far away, perched on a lamppost like a bird, watching the whole thing. 

 

***

 

"Yeah, sorry I'm late." Chris apologized, a smile on his face. "I guess I cut it too damn close, didn't I?"

"Chris, your clothes..." Phil said, staring at Chris. He was in a yellow outfit that Phil had never seen him wear before, and a gleaming golden gem stood out on a band wrapped around his upper arm. A Soul Gem. 

"Hm?" Chris asked. "Oh, yeah, well, I guess you could say I kind of had a change of heart."

"But..." Phil said, turning to look at the floor. 

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll be okay." Chris said, waving his hand. "I mean, I did pretty well for my first time out, don't you think?" 

"Yeah, but-" Phil started, and stopped as he noticed the person standing a few feet behind Chris. 

Chris noticed Phil's stare, and turned around to see Dan standing there, glaring at him. 

"How could you?" Dan asked. 

"Hmph." Chris smirked. 

"You're late, _transfer student_."

 

***

 

On the other side of the city, back in the hospital, Connor suddenly woke up. 

He could feel a sharp pain in his left leg, and-

Wait. 

He could _feel_ his left leg. 

He pushed himself up, pulling back the covers of his bed, and stared at his legs, almost afraid. 

Slowly, he lifted one. 

He stared with wide eyes as he tried to bend his knee, and it responded to his thoughts perfectly. 

_"How?"_

 

***

 

A boy sat on the rooftop of a tall abandoned building that overlooked the city, a piece of bread in his hand. His brown hair was curly, and his bright green eyes swept over the skyline, taking it all in.

The most notable thing about him, however, was the purple jewel embedded into the silver band on his ring finger.

“I didn’t think you’d be here.”

The boy turned his head to see Lion sitting next to him.

The boy shrugged, taking a bite of his bread. “Yeah, well, I heard ol’ Louise finally bit the dust. And I came all this way to check it out, so why don't you tell me something?"

The boy turned towards Lion, glaring at him. "What the hell's the deal, here? This is nothing like what you told me."

“Sorry, but another magical boy has already claimed this territory. In fact, he just made a contract with me a little while ago.”

“What? You’ve gotta be kidding me. No way in hell am I handing over prime territory to some rookie, that'd be stupid as hell.”

“What are you going to do, PJ?” Lion asked, tilting his head. 

“Easy. I’ll just have to put his rookie ass out of commission." PJ grinned, shoving the last bite of bread in his mouth.

"Permanently.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi howdy hey pj's in the house
> 
> and he's totally about to fuck up chris so get your popcorn ready my dudes


	5. I'll Never Regret My Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris is ready to begin his new life as a magical boy, but PJ decides to end it before it begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should be doing homework right now

_“Are you sure you can grant any wish, for real?”_

_Chris stood on the roof of the hospital, and Lion was perched on top of the tall ledge that surrounded the edge, keeping anyone from being able to jump off. The sun was beginning to set, and it almost looked like Lion was glowing._

_“Of course.” Lion said. “Don’t worry, I’ve granted hundreds of wishes like yours in the past. There won’t be a single problem. So, are you ready?”_

_Chris sucked in a breath._

_“Yeah. Do it.”_

_There was a moment where nothing happened. Lion sat there, still as a statue, and Chris started to wonder if anything would happen at all, or if a Soul Gem would just magically appear in his hand. Was that how this worked?_

_Suddenly, a stabbing pain in his chest came out of nowhere, and his knees buckled as he gritted his teeth to keep from screaming. A blinding yellow light made him squeeze his eyes shut. He wasn’t sure if he should cover his eyes or grip at his chest, everything hurt._

_**“I’m dying.”** He thought. “ **Something’s gone horribly wrong, and I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m-”**_

_Then, as soon as it had started, the pain in his chest subsided, but legs gave out, and he started falling backwards. It felt like time had slowed as he fell, and he opened his eyes to see something glowing a bright yellow above his head. It started lowering towards him._

_“Go on.” Lion said._ _“Accept it. This is your destiny.”_

_Chris reached out, and clasped his hands around the glowing light, right as he hit the ground._

 

_***_

 

"And then, I-"

Chris's story was interrupted by a loud yawn from Tyler, who sat in between Chris and Phil. He rubbed his eyes, and looked up to see both Phil and Chris looking at him, each with one eyebrow raised. Their expressions were nearly identical. 

"Sorry," Tyler said, resting his head in his hand. "Didn't mean to."

"What, did you stay up until three studying again?" Chris asked, a smile on his face. 

"Well, not exactly. I was up late answering questions from the police and the doctors and stuff." 

"Wait, what?" Chris asked, his eyes widening slightly. "What happened?"

"Apparently, I was sleepwalking, or something." Tyler shrugged. "But the weird thing about it was that there was this huge crowd of people that were doing the same thing, and when we all woke up, we were all in this abandoned factory on the outskirts of town."

"You're kidding." Phil said, but he didn't sound like he was in awe. Tyler hesitated for a second, glancing over at Phil. Everything seemed fine, he just looked a little worn out. Huh. Maybe he was the one who had been studying late. 

"No, I'm not." Tyler continued. "The doctors said we most likely suffered from some kind of mass hallucination, so after school today I have to go back for more tests."

"Jesus." Chris said, crossing his arms. "After all that, you should've just stayed home today."

"Nah, I can't do that. If I did, then everybody would think I really was sick." Tyler explained. "And my parents are already worried about me, even though I've told them I feel fine now. Might as well come to school and prove it."

"Ugh, you're too good of a student, Tyler." Chris smiled. "You're going to make the rest of us look bad."

Phil glanced over to see Dan sitting across the classroom in his usual seat. It was free period, so most of the other kids had left for other extra curricular activities, but apparently, Dan had picked study hall over anything else, just like Phil, Tyler and Chris had. Dan glared over at Chris, but it didn't seem like he was glaring at Chris himself. Rather, it looked like he had his gaze locked on the new silver band around Chris's finger, and the yellow gem embedded into it. 

Phil looked away, turning back to stare at his desk. 

" _I know_ ," He thought to himself. " _I think it's a mistake, too._ "

 

***

 

After school, Chris and Phil sat near the lake in the city park, taking a stop on their way home. Chris leaned back, stretching his arms out towards the blue sky, and sighed in contentment. 

"I haven't felt this good in a long time." He smiled, staring up at the clouds. "I feel awesome." 

"Chris," Phil started, hugging his knees to his chest. "Aren't you scared?"

"Hm?" Chris asked, looking over at Phil. "Well, maybe a little. But I'm sure I'll be okay. I mean, it wasn't too hard to beat that witch, and I'm just a rookie. Actually, now that I think about it, it was pretty easy. But when I start to think about how I could've lost you and Tyler, man, that scares me way more." 

"You shouldn't have to throw yourself in danger just to save us, Chris." Phil mumbled, but Chris didn't hear him. 

"Anyways, how do I really feel?" Chris asked, and sat up, holding out his bright yellow gem towards Phil. "I feel sort of...confident, I guess. Like I could take on anything that stands in my path. So don't worry about me. I'm excited about this, seriously!"

Chris touched the top of his gem, turning it back into the silver band around his finger. He stood up, his eyes sweeping over the lake, and put his hands on his hips in a superhero-esq pose. 

"From now on, I promise that I, Magical Boy Chris," He exclaimed. "Will always be here to protect the people of this city!" 

Phil ducked his head, pulling his knees closer to his chest. 

"Are you sure you don't have any regrets?"

"Well," Chris started, turning around and taking his hands off of his hips. "I guess, if I had one, it'd be that I waited as long as I did. I mean, I did it anyway, so maybe I should have made up my mind sooner. Maybe Louise would still be alive if I had been there, fighting beside her."

Louise's face flashed through Phil's head, and he stared at the ground. 

"Maybe." 

Phil could feel tears welling up behind his eyes. Oh, god. He didn't want to start crying again. He'd been crying way too much the past few days, he was going to start worrying people. He blinked a couple times, and sniffled, trying to force them back. 

Suddenly, he felt Chris poke his shoulder. It startled his out of his thoughts, and he turned to see Chris sitting next to him, a smile on his face. 

"Hey, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" 

Phil turned back, staring over the blue water. 

"Maybe...maybe I should've-"

"Don't you start going 'could've, should've'." Chris said. "Hindsight's 20-20, you know. I feel like I was meant to be a magical boy. I knew what I wanted more than anything else in the world, and if it meant I had to risk my life for it, I would've done it anyway. I shouldn't have dragged my feet about it for so long, but it took me a long time to figure that out, which is pretty frustrating." 

He poked Phil again, getting him to face him once more. 

"So, basically, what I'm saying is, don't feel guilty if you don't want to be a magical boy." He shrugged. "Maybe you just weren't meant for it." 

"Maybe." Phil repeated. 

Chris stood up, stretching his arms over his head. 

"Well, I better get going, or I'm gonna' be late." 

"Oh, do you have somewhere to be?" Phil asked, glancing up at Chris, who just smiled a little. 

"Sort of." 

 

***

 

"Really? Why won't they let you go home yet?" 

Chris was seated by Connor's bed, in his usual chair, as Connor lifted his leg up and down, still in slight awe. Now that Chris knew that Connor was going to be okay, the hospital felt warmer. Brighter. Like it was actually the place of hope and renewal it was supposed to be, rather than just despair. 

"No one knows why my legs healed the way they did." Connor shrugged, staring at his leg. "They're concerned about it, actually. The doctors want to run a few more tests to see if they can figure out how it happened."

He turned to look at Chris, and Chris immediately straightened up, putting a smile on his face. For once, it didn't feel forced. 

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess. Are you feeling weird, or does everything feel okay?"

"You sound like my doctor." Connor laughed. "But yeah, I feel totally fine. Actually, I was thinking about it earlier and the accident just feels like a bad dream. It's funny. I wonder what I'm even doing in this bed. It's just like you said, Chris. It's a miracle."

Suddenly, Connor's smile dropped from his face, and he turned away, staring out the window. 

"What's wrong?" Chris asked, suddenly worried. Did something just happen? Was he okay?

"The other day," Connor started. "I said some pretty bad things. I was really upset, I shouldn't have just lashed out at you like that." 

"Forget about that stuff." Chris said, glad nothing was actually wrong. "I get it. You had every right to be upset, really. It's no big deal. Your legs are working again, you should be over the goddamn moon about it. So don't make that sad face." 

Connor smiled a little. 

"I guess you're right. It still kind of feels like a dream." 

"Yeah, well, I'm not surprised." Chris said, reaching into his school bag. "Hang on, I got you something when I found out about your legs."

"Hm?" Connor leaned over, trying to see what Chris had in his hands. 

"So, I know they're not really too obscure the way most bands you like are, but I figured it be a classic to start off again with. Panic At The Disco is coming to the next city over in a few months, so I convinced my mum to get..." Chris said, and pulled two slips of paper out of his bag. "Two tickets." 

"Are you serious?" Connor asked, his face lighting up as Chris handed him one of the tickets. "Oh my god, you're awesome, Chris!" 

"I know, I know." Chris joked. "I just thought you might want to go jumping around like an idiot at a concert again." 

"You know me too well." Connor grinned, and Chris laughed.

Chris watched as Connor read over the ticket, his eyes practically shining. 

 _"Hey, Louise, if you're up there, see that?"_ Chris thought to himself, a smile on his face.

_"My wish has been granted. I'll never regret my choice, and right now, this is the happiest I've been in long while."_

 

***

 

Far away, in an empty observatory tower, PJ blinked from behind one of the binocular sets, aiming it directly at the hospital window. The binoculars were larger than the others, and PJ had used magic to make them zero in on any other magical boys in the area. At the moment, he was staring directly at Chris. 

"Huh." He said. "So that's what the new magical boy in town looks like." 

"You're not really going to fight him, are you?" 

PJ turned to see Lion sitting behind him, perched on on of the other sets of binoculars. PJ wasn't fazed by his presence, however, and shrugged. 

"Sure. Why not? He won't know what hit him." PJ said, and the second he took his hand off of the binoculars, they changed back to normal in a sudden flash of purple light. PJ's Soul Gem shined in the hand that had been resting on the binoculars. "Why? You got a problem with that or something?" 

"Not at all." Lion said. "It just might be a little more difficult than you believe it to be. There is actually another magical boy in this city as well." 

"Oh, really?" PJ asked, a smirk appearing on his face. He did like challenges. "So, what's his deal, huh?" 

"I'm actually not really sure about that." 

"Huh?" PJ stopped, raising an eyebrow at Lion. "What do you mean? If he's a magical boy, then he had to have made a contract with you, right?" 

"You could say yes." Lion said. "But, you could also say no." 

"Okay," PJ said, glaring at Lion. "For once, could you give me a straight answer, and not all of this cryptic bullshit?" 

"He's an irregularity in the system, it seems." Lion said. "I have absolutely no idea what he's capable of." 

"Hm. Sounds good to me." PJ shrugged. "Gettin' kind of boring around here, anyway. Gotta' shake things up now and then, you know?" 

With that, he turned, and started towards the stairs leading back down to the ground floor of the observation tower. The stairs descended in a spiral, and without a problem, PJ jumped onto the railing. He started sliding down the stairs, going faster than a normal person would, confident in his magic to take him faster without making him fall. 

 _An irregularity..._ He thought to himself, as the slight breeze from the speed blew through his curls. A small smile appeared on his face. 

_Sounds like fun._

 

***

 

Phil didn't know where to begin. 

He sat across from Dan at the nearby coffee shop, and Dan was looking at him expectantly. 

"You wanted to talk?" Dan asked, and Phil jumped a little at the sound of his voice. Dan's dark eyes seemed to stare straight through him, and it made him a little uneasy. And yet, there was something about him that made Phil want to trust him. 

"Well, it's about Chris." Phil started. "He may be stubborn, and maybe a little sensitive, and maybe he argues with other people a lot, but he really is a good person. He's kind, and brave, and he's always ready to help anyone in danger, and-"

"Those are all fatal flaws for a magical boy." Dan interrupted, his expression not changing. 

"Oh." Phil said, and the coffee shop, even with it's bright lighting and calming music filtering in through the speakers, suddenly felt dark. "Really?" 

Dan didn't quite meet his eyes when he spoke. 

"A person becomes naive if they're too kind, and careless if they're too bold. And no matter how hard you try to help others, there is rarely any gratitude. Those who can't comprehend such things aren't fit to be magical people." Dan said, and reached for his cup of coffee. "And that's the reason Louise Pentland lost her life." 

"Don't talk about her that way!" Phil exclaimed, clenching his fists. When Dan didn't respond, Phil took a breath, calming himself down. "Anyway, this is about Chris. He says he'll be okay, but when I think about Louise, and how the same thing could happen to Chris, I...just...I don't know what to do."

Something in Dan's expression seemed to soften a little bit. It was odd to see him without his usual default stoic expression, but at the same time, it made Phil feel a little better. Dan _did_ have emotions under all of that tough-person thing he had going on. 

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yes." Phil nodded, suddenly feeling like he could confide everything in Dan, and that it would be okay if he did. "But I can't do anything to help on my own, so I was wondering if you could. Please be friends with Chris, and please don't fight with him like you did with Louise. And then, if you work together, when you go to fight warlocks and witches, it'll be safer for everyone and no one has to get hurt." 

Dan closed his eyes, thinking, and didn't respond for a while. Phil wasn't sure why. The idea made plenty of sense to him. 

"I don't like to tell lies." Dan finally spoke, opening his eyes. "And I don't make promises I can't keep. So, I'm going to tell you that you should forget about Chris Kendall. And the sooner you do, the better it will be." 

Phil blinked. Forget Chris? Forget the person who'd been his best friend since he was a baby? 

"Why...why should I?"

"He shouldn't have been allowed to make the contract in the first place." Dan said. "I'm partly to blame for that, and I'm sorry. I should have looked out for him as I do for you."

"But he-"

"Even though I'm partly to blame, you must understand." Dan continued, interrupting Phil. "This is a mistake that he cannot undo or recover from. Like how the dead cannot come back to life. When magical people make the contract, we give up everything for one single wish. And then, we can do nothing but wait for the end and fight for the sake of our wishes." 

"Then...does that mean..." Phil started, and once he realized that Dan wasn't going to interrupt him again, he continued. "Does that mean that you've given up, Dan? On all the other magical people, on yourself?" 

"Yes." Dan answered, and Phil couldn't help but notice how he hadn't hesitated in the slightest. "I won't make any excuses for myself. I have no choice but to keep fighting until I meet my own end, however that end comes." 

Phil didn't know how to respond as Dan slid out from the booth he had been sitting in, picking up his school bag on the way out. 

"If I've wasted your time, I'm sorry." Dan said, and walked out of the coffee shop, leaving Phil alone at the table. 

 

***

 

Chris stepped in front of the single mirror in his room, surveying his appearance as Lion watched from his bedside table. 

Did he look tired? No. Did he look ready? Yes. Did he look intimidating, so that the warlocks would run away at the very sight of him?

Meh. 

Oh, well. He was as ready as he could possibly be, that was all that mattered. 

He started to leave the room, and Lion jumped on his shoulder right before he crossed the threshold and began going down the steps to leave the apartment complex. 

"Are you nervous?" Lion asked. 

"Well, yeah." Chris said. "A little. I mean, one mistake, and it's goodbye me." 

"You'll be fine." Lion reassured him. "You were fine with the first warlock, weren't you?" 

"I guess so." Chris said, as he started to walk out the door into the cool night air. He froze when he noticed the very familiar person waiting by the door, his schoolbag in hand. "Phil?" 

"Hey, Chris." Phil said, a slightly worried look on his face. "Are you going out to..." 

He trailed off, but Chris knew what he was going to say. He smiled, holding up his Soul Gem. 

"Yep! Time to patrol for all things wicked." He said. "Now that I'm an ally of justice, it's my duty." 

"Are you going to be okay?" Phil asked. "I mean, by yourself?" 

"Oh, sure." Chris said, shrugging. "If Louise could do it, so can I." 

Phil didn't bring up the fact that Louise couldn't do it anymore. That being alone had ended up killing her. He didn't want to think about that, or what it meant for Chris. But that was why he was here. 

"Well, I know I don't have any powers, and that I'll probably just end up getting in the way," Phil started, setting his schoolbag down on the ground. "But if you don't mind me being around this kind of stuff, can I come with? At least as far as you can take me?" 

Chris smiled a little. 

"Oh my god, you really are stubborn." 

Phil blinked, and stared at the ground, rubbing his arm. 

"I know, it's too much to ask. I figured I'd give it a shot." 

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Chris said, and held up his hand. Phil could see Chris's fingers twitching slightly, and his entire hand shaking a little bit. 

"Do you see this?" Chris laughed a little. "My hands are shaking. They haven't stopped since I left my room. Isn't that pathetic? Even though I'm a magical boy now, the thought of going up against a warlock alone...it's kind of terrifying." 

"Chris..."

"I want you to come with, really." Chris said, letting his hand drop back down to his side. "I already feel better knowing I won't be going it alone, and I'll be with my best friend."

"But what if-" Phil started, but Chris waved him off. 

"Don't worry, don't worry. I promise, I'll keep you safe. Just follow my lead, and we'll be totally fine." Chris said. "Ready to go hunt down some evil, just like we did with Louise?" 

Phil didn't think it was possible for any mention of Louise to make him smile again, but he stood there for a few seconds, remembering how much fun it had been to go hunting down witches and warlocks with Louise before they had come across the one at the hospital. It _had_ been fun, and maybe, if he could have that again, it wouldn't be so bad. Phil nodded. 

"Yeah. Let's do it." 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lion asked, turning his stare towards Chris. 

"You know how I am." Chris said, as they started to walk away from the apartment complex. "If I went alone, I'd be too reckless. I'd end up getting myself killed. But now that Phil's here, I'll be more careful because I'll know he's watching. I wouldn't want him to have to watch me die." 

"Alright, well, as long as you've thought about it." Lion said. Out of nowhere, he suddenly turned his head, looking directly at Phil. 

 _"You've put a lot of thought into this too, haven't you, Phil?_ " Lion spoke, but judging how Chris didn't react, Phil assumed he was talking only inside his head. _"I know how much you want to protect Chris."_

 _"Lion..."_ Phil thought, but he trailed off, unsure what to say. 

_"I think it's good that you're coming along with us. This way, if we find ourselves in a tight spot, you can basically be our 'get-out-of-jail' card."_

_"I'm not...I'm not sure."_ Phil thought. 

 _"Oh, don't worry. You don't have to decide right now. But just know, if you ever decide on a wish,_ _I'll always be ready to grant it for you."_

Phil looked away from Lion, choosing instead to stare at the stone in the pathway he was walking along.

_"...Okay."_

 

***

 

Chris's Soul Gem was glowing a bright yellow when they came along a tight alleyway near the edge of town, that had cracked stone stairs leading down through it. It felt like a dungeon entrance, and Phil didn't like that feeling. 

"Alright." Chris said. "This must be it." 

Not ten seconds after he said that, the walls on either side of the alleyway turned a bright fluorescent green, with little vibrant stars that looked like they were drawn in crayon dancing across the walls. It felt much smaller than any labyrinth they'd ever been in before. 

"This labyrinth was probably one made by a familiar, and not a witch." Lion spoke up, answering the unspoken question that was in both Chris and Phil's minds. 

"Sounds good to me." Chris said. "Still, I'd better be careful. I'm still new at this." 

"Yes, it'd be best to keep your guard up. The familiar could be nearby." Lion said. 

"Roger that." Chris said, nodding, and began to descend the steps deeper into the labyrinth, Phil close behind. A few minutes went by of nothing really happening, before something hit the back of Phil's head from behind. 

"Ow!" He yelped, and turned around to see a wave of what looked like yellow plastic balls raining down on them. 

"Get down!" Chris yelled, and dropped to the ground, pulling Phil down with him so fast Phil was pretty sure he'd be picking gravel out of his chin for a week.

Chris looked up when he heard a sort of distorted laugh, and saw something that looked like a drawing done by a three year old of a little girl riding an airplane. 

"That's it! That's the familiar!" Lion exclaimed, confirming Chris's suspicions. 

"What do we do?" Phil asked. 

"I got this!" Chris grinned, and threw his Soul Gem into the air. It floated in mid air, and Chris stepped underneath of it. As soon as he did, a blinding yellow light exploded from the Soul Gem, and Phil shielded his eyes. When Phil looked back, Chris stood in the center of the labyrinth as a magical boy, his bright yellow outfit easy to spot amidst the green color of practically everything else inside the labyrinth, and he was surrounded by a ring of his own swords stuck into the ground. 

The familiar must have realized exactly what Chris was, because it immediately began to speed away. Chris was quick on his feet though, and began pulling the swords out of the ground and throwing them at the familiar, trying to nail it. His first few just barely missed it, as the familiar began to realize that it was under attack, it was just barely able to dodge Chris's swords. His swords impaled the walls around the familiar, but none of them were right on the money. 

Chris decided to change his tactics. Instead of aiming for the familiar itself, he aimed just a little bit in front of it. The sword he threw impaled the wall right in front of the familiar, stopping it in it's tracks. Bingo. He threw a few more, surrounding the familiar, and keeping it from escaping. The familiar let out a distorted screech, and Chris grinned, lining up one more sword. He aimed right for the center of the familiar, and threw. 

Right as his sword was about to hit the familiar, something purple flashed by, knocking Chris's sword out of the sky and saving the familiar. 

"What?" Chris asked, staring up at the familiar as the same purple thing that he now recognized as some sort of spear knocked all of his swords out of the wall, setting the familiar free. It began to zip down the corridor, going as fast as it could to get away from Chris. 

A person suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, landing on his feet effortlessly. He was dressed in all purple, and he was holding a purple spear that was taller than he was. Chris wasn't stupid, he knew what this was. He was another magical boy. 

"Hang on a second, what do you think you're doing?" The boy asked. "Playing tag?" 

As the familiar got farther away, the labyrinth began to melt around them, until they were back in the normal alleyway. 

"It's getting away!" Chris yelled, and started to run after the familiar, not caring about the random magical boy who apparently liked to save them. Not caring, at least, until he found the tip of the spear pointed right at his throat, and he stopped in his tracks. Chris could feel his heart beat pounding in his chest, sudden fear shooting through him, but he gritted his teeth.

“Alright, fine. If this is how you want to play, I'll bite." Chris said. He was already sure he didn't like this guy. "Who are you?”   
  
“The name’s PJ.” The magical boy said, a small smirk on his face. “And what are you, blind or something? That isn’t a warlock, it’s just a familiar. It’s not going to have any Grief Seeds if you kill it.”  
  
“Yeah, I know. But if we leave it alone, it’s gonna’ go and kill someone!” Chris protested.  
  
“Listen, mate,” PJ said, pulling a slice of bread from behind his pocket and taking a bite. “It has to eat around four or five people before it turns into a warlock. Then you can hunt it back down and you’ll be sure to snag a Grief Seed for your trouble. You don’t wanna’ kill the goose before it lays the golden eggs, newbie."  
  
PJ moved the tip of the spear away from Chris’s throat, confident that he had explained it well enough, but Chris clenched his fists.  
  
“What about the people it’s going to attack, huh?”  
  
PJ shrugged, taking another bite of his bread.  
  
“Seriously? You’re going to let them get killed?” Chris asked, staring at PJ, unable to believe it.  
   
“You know what? I hate to say it, but I really don’t think you’re getting this, are you? It’s called the food chain. Didn’t they teach you it in school?” He turned towards Chris, and started walking towards him. “The warlocks go and eat the weak humans, and then we hunt them down and eat the warlocks.”  
  
As PJ got closer, Phil slowly moved out of the way, backing up against the wall. PJ kept walking towards Chris, obviously not caring about Phil, and Chris slowly started to back away as PJ advanced towards him.  
  
“It’s the natural way of things.” PJ continued. “The weak have to give up to the strong.”  
  
Phil jumped back as a translucent purple wall suddenly appeared between him and the other two.  
  
“Oh no…” He mumbled, his voice quiet, and ran as close as he dared to the wall, staring at what was happening behind it. PJ had stopped walking, and stabbed his spear into the ground right by Chris's feet, as if to intimidate him.   
  
“Why, you-“ Chris began, his eyebrows knitting together in anger.   
  
“Oh, don’t tell me.” PJ cut him off. “You don’t actually believe in all that fighting for justice and saving people shit, do you? You didn’t make the contract based on that load of bull, did you?”  
  
“And what if I did, huh?” Chris exclaimed, and swung his sword at PJ, but he blocked it with his spear easily.  
  
“Whatever. Want to stop that?” PJ said, holding his spear with one hand but still holding Chris back with ease.  
  
Chris pushed his sword forward, or at least, attempted to. PJ stayed put, not even moving an inch despite all of Chris's efforts.   
  
“You know, I don’t like you coming in here and acting like it’s a game.” PJ said. “That pisses me off.”  
  
He shoved his spear forward, knocking Chris off-balance, and then slammed the butt end of this spear straight into Chris’s stomach, causing him to go flying. Chris hit the wall, and fell to the floor. His sword, which had been knocked out of his hand, pierced the ground next to him when it hit.  
  
“Chris!” Phil exclaimed, but the wall blocked him from getting to his friend's side.   
  
“Hmph. Rookie. That ought to knock some sense into you. Go clear your head for a bit.” PJ said, and turned away, beginning to walk back towards Phil. Phil shrunk back, worried that this magical boy would try and hurt him, too.   
  
PJ stopped, tilting his head slightly behind him as a noise came from where Chris had been, and Phil could see Chris slowly pushing himself up back to his feet.   
  
“You have got to be _kidding_.” PJ turned around in surprise. “The hit you took should have landed you in the hospital for at least three months.”  
  
“Lion, is Chris okay?" Phil asked, and Lion jumped up onto his shoulder.  
  
“He wished for someone to be healed when he made his contract to become a magical boy.” Lion explained. “So now, he had the power to heal faster than a normal human being. All magical people get different perks."   
  
“You think you’re so tough, don’t you?” Chris said, gritting his teeth and pulling his sword out of the ground. “Louise’s gone because of magical boys like you!”  
  
“Okay.” PJ said, finishing the last bite of his bread. He spun around, holding his spear in a battle ready position. “That _really_ pisses me off.”  
  
A glowing circle appeared around Chris, and the bruises from the hit he had taken slowly faded away, bright patches of yellow light taking their place and then slowly disappearing to reveal the wounds to be completely gone, without a trace that they had ever even been there.   
  
“You know something? You shouldn’t talk to me like that.” PJ remarked. “I’ve been hunting and killing warlocks for way longer than you have. I know what I’m doing. You clearly don’t.”  
  
“Shut up!” Chris yelled.  
  
That was apparently the last straw for PJ. Without warning, he charged at Chris, swinging his spear at him, attempting to hit him. But where PJ was strong, Chris was fast. He held up his sword in defense, and blocked all of PJ's hits, even though the sheer force of the hits were knocking him backwards.   
  
“Are you going to jump around all day, or are you going to fight back?” PJ asked, and swung his spear a little higher. It clashed against Chris’s sword, and he held it back, but PJ just pushed the spear forward, holding Chris in place.  
  
“Chris!” Phil exclaimed.  
  
“Don’t try anything, Phil. It’s too dangerous for a normal human.” Lion said.  
  
PJ pulled back his spear, and before Chris could move, slammed it into his side, causing Chris to hit the wall again. He fell to the ground, but this time, held onto his sword. PJ stepped towards him.  
  
“You don’t get it when I explain it, and trying to beat some sense into you doesn’t seem to be working.”  
  
Chris looked up at him, his teeth clenched together.  
  
“Guess my only option is to kill you!” PJ said, and swung his spear at Chris, but Chris pulled his sword up at the last second, holding back the spear. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, still holding the spear in place.  
  
“I won’t lose.” He muttered. “Not to you!”  
  
He pushed his sword forward, knocking PJ off-balance, but PJ was more experienced than Chris. He recovered fast and stabbed his spear into the ground. The force of the impact knocked Chris backwards, but he was learning how PJ worked and knew he had to get up fast. He went after PJ again, swinging his sword at him wildly, but PJ blocked every shot.   
  
“Why is this happening?" Phil thought aloud. "Neither of them are warlocks, they're magical boys. They shouldn't be fighting each other, they're on the same side!"   
  
“It can’t be helped. They certainly won’t back down now.” Lion said.  
  
“Lion, make them stop. They’re going to kill each other!” Phil exclaimed.  
  
“There’s nothing I can do. I can’t interfere with their choices.” Lion said. “However…”  
  
“What?” Phil asked.  
  
“If you truly want to stop them and you don’t mind using force, there is a way.” Lion said, and  jumped back down off of Phil's shoulder, looking up at him. “Only another magical boy could come between them now. And you have more than enough potential to become one. If you really want to, that is.”

Phil looked up to see Chris and PJ still fighting each other, both looking more determined to win with every hit as their weapons sparked off of one another's. 

 _" _That’s right."__ Phil thought to himself. _"If I make a contract with him...I can stop them."_  
  
PJ finally landed a hit, knocking Chris to the ground. Before he could stand up again, PJ hit him again, knocking the sword out of his hands and sending it flying a few feet away, too far out of Chris’s reach.  
  
“Game over, rookie!” PJ called. Chris stared up at him from the ground, unable to do anything but watch as PJ jumped into the air and came speeding back down, his spear aimed fro Chris's heart. 

Phil refused to see his best friend die today.   
  
“I…I wish-“ Phil started.   
  
“No need for that.”  
  
Phil jumped when he heard Dan’s voice. He turned around, but no one was there. When he turned back, a very surprised-looking PJ had slammed his spear into the ground, and Chris was behind him, still on the ground, but alive.  
  
And between them stood Dan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND DAN HOWELL SWOOPS IN TO SAVE THE DAY 
> 
> HUZZAH


End file.
